Eat To Avoid Pesticides
You can protect your health and the health of the environment by avoiding pesticides. Consider the following:
- Eat a diverse diet. A varied diet helps to minimize your exposure to pesticides that are used exclusively on particular crops.
- Wash or peel fruits and vegetables. Use a diluted mixture of dish detergent and water, scrub gently and rinse completely.
- Buy organic foods.
Is It Worth It?
There is a downside to buying organic foods — cost. On average, organic foods cost 56 percent more than conventional produce. For most people, that cost doesn't seem worth the benefit. One reason is that the appearance of the food does not always match the standard that conventional farming has accustomed us to. With the aid of chemicals, fruits and vegetables have grown in size, and they arrive in the store in unblemished condition. Organic foods are not always perfect or as large. On the surface, they appear inferior, and who wants to pay more for what seems like less?
In the long run, however, the savings found in good health and a clean environment will more than offset the cost. The more you buy organic foods, the more farmers realize that there is a market for such products, and they will be encouraged to switch their methods. That will bring costs down, as supply begins to meet demand. Until then, conventional farming methods are more economically feasible for farmers. But remember: What is cheapest is not always best — for the soil, the crops or the people eating those crops.
