3 Top Tips for Eating Organic
Today, up to 98% of our fresh food carries pesticides or traces of chemicals, most of which can become causes of breathing problems or cancer. Roughly 46% of fruit and veg contain traces of these chemicals, which is 25% more than in 2008. In processed foods, the numbers climb to almost 97% in flour and 74% in breads. Pesticides are designed to ‘kill’ pests, but when ingested, pesticides can cause health problems in certain people. This is why eating organic is so important. This article’s aim is to help guide you through which foods to avoid, and which are safe to eat more of.
Firstly, the most contaminated food in the EU is grapes. 97% of grapes contain traces of pesticides, and 3% have levels of chemicals that are above legal maximum residue levels. In a survey carried out in 2013, it was found that wine growers put an average of 19 pesticides on their grape vines. Furthermore, a person in the UK eats, on average, over 4 kilos of grapes per year, so imagine how much pesticides we swallow! So, tip number one: if you cannot or do not want to only eat organic food, try to avoid grapes, as they are the fruit with the most pesticides. Instead, you can eat more corn and asparagus, as they are the vegetables with the least amount of pesticides.
This leads on to tip number two: if you want to take it a step further and completely avoid swallowing pesticides, try eating organic as much as possible. Organic fruit and vegetables taste exactly the same as non-organic fruit and veg, as do all organic foods; they are on a whole, much healthier for you. In London, Planet Organic is a supermarket chain which has many shops in London, and their stores only contain organic food. If you don’t mind driving that extra 10 minutes to get to your nearest Planet Organic shop, why not try it?
Finally, on to tip number three. To help completely exclude pesticides from your diet, I recommend washing and cooking with organic products, and or washing and peeling your fruits and vegetables, whether they are organic or not. A top tip that I have learnt is that when peeling any vegetables, you want to wash the vegetable, peel of all the skin, and then wash it again. This is because as you are peeling, the skin of the vegetable will touch the inside of your vegetable, leaving traces of pesticides. Lastly, the best way to get rid of pesticides whilst cooking vegetables is steaming your vegetables, as this leaves a great chance of the pesticides evaporating.
However there are limits to organic farming. It has been found that there are enough organic products to feed the world, but for this to happen, humans need to start eating less meat and stop wasting as much food. Ways to do this are by either finding a local organic food waste disposal area, or applying for a food waste bin instead of putting your food waste in a normal bin. Food waste includes any food cuttings or peelings that you have made; leftovers and plate scrapings; dairy products, eggs, bread, cakes and pastries, raw and cooked meat and fish, (including bones); tea bags and coffee grounds, raw and cooked vegetables, and mouldy fruit.
Good luck, and I hoped this article helped!