Tag Archives: animals

Pesticides

pesticides

Taken directly from wikipedia.com:  A pesticide is any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest. A pesticide may be a chemical substance, biological agent (such as a virus or bacterium), antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest. Pests include insects, plant pathogens, weeds, molluscsbirdsmammalsfish, nematodes (roundworms), and microbes that destroy property, spread disease or are a vector for disease or cause a nuisance. Although there are benefits to the use of pesticides, there are also drawbacks, such as potential toxicity to humans and other animals. According to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, 10 of the 12 most dangerous and persistent organic chemicals are pesticides.

So, I think this pretty accurately describes what they are, now how do they effect us produce eaters?

For the answer to this question, I’ve consulted my friend over at Bodies4Life Training, Beki. She tells us in her article on Going Organic, that the only way to avoid all these pesticide treatments is to go organic with all our produce purchases.

Personally I feel that some of this organic hype might just be a brilliant sales scheme, since the prices in the organic section is ALWAYS higher than the regular section, but Beki states there are added benefits to going organic.

You not only stop feeding your body chemicals made for killing things, but you also support farmers who make an effort to make animal lives more compatible with nature. Also, pesticides that are used on the produce fields eventually need to be washed away, drained away into either the earth below the fields, but also the drainage system which eventually feeds back into our drinking water.

The question is, is it already to late? Have our fields already been contaminated for so many years with bad pesticides that have seeped so deep into the earth below these fields of produce that no matter what is done, were still getting the after effects of them?

Hazardous-pesticide

To make sure that you’re informed of at least the top 12 most pesticide rich produce in the store, so you can selectively buy organic, Beki has produced the following list:

  1. Peaches
  2. Apples
  3. Sweet Bell Peppers
  4. Celery
  5. Nectarines
  6. Strawberries
  7. Cherries
  8. Pears
  9. Grapes (imported)
  10. Spinach
  11. Lettuce
  12. Potatoes

Beki also suggests to go check out Environmental Working Groups Health/Toxins: Our Food page for some more very informative and official research papers on the harmful effects of pesticides.

local_organicsAre you an organic shopper?

Dairy Is Bad

Dairy is dangerous. It is filled with hormones, fat, cholesterol, herbicides, pesticides, dioxins, antibiotics, bacteria, viruses, feces, pus, and blood, to mention a few. Each one of these substances lead to very unattractive side effects like cancer, obesity, bacterial infection, diabetes… the list could go on. The point is, it’s not healthy for humans to consume.

Fresh eggs and dairy products

Clearly, I have been off of dairy for many years now, and will continue to stay clear of as many dairy products as I can. I find in myself that consuming an ice cream, cheeses, or a glass of milk lead to acne, upset stomach, and excess body weight, so for me it was an easy choice to try something different.

They may be beautiful animals when kept in range conditions, in large pastures, and fed proper foods, but when they are stuffed into an over-capacity barn and hooked up to milk sucking machines on a rotation schedule while being fed hormones to increase output of abnormal quantities, they are not as cute anymore.

dairy_cows

Studies have proven that there are many diseases that come from, or are linked to dairy proteins: “Loss of appetite, growth retardation. Upper Gastrointestinal: Canker sores (aphthous stomatitis), irritation of tongue, lips and mouth, tonsil enlargement, vomiting, gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), Sandifer’s syndrome, peptic ulcer disease, colic, stomach cramps, abdominal distention, intestinal obstruction, type-1 diabetes. Lower Gastrointestinal: Bloody stools, colitis, malabsorption, diarrhea, painful defecation, fecal soiling, infantile colic, chronic constipation, infantile food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES), Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis. Respiratory: Nasal stuffiness, runny nose, otitis media (inner ear trouble), sinusitis, wheezing, asthma, and pulmonary infiltrates. Bone and joint: Rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Beheta’s disease, (possibly psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis). Skin: Rashes, atopic dermatitis, eczema, seborrhea, hives (urticaria) Nervous System (Behavioral): Multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, autism, schizophrenia, irritability, restlessness, hyperactivity, headache, lethargy, fatigue, “allergic-tension fatigue syndrome,” muscle pain, mental depression, enuresis (bed-wetting). Blood: Abnormal blood clotting, iron deficiency anemia, low serum proteins, thrombocytopenia, and eosinophilia. Other: Nephrotic syndrome, glomerulonephritis, anaphylactic shock and death, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS or crib or cot death), injury to the arteries causing arteritis, and eventually, atherosclerosis.

I know, that list is meant to be overwhelming.

References are available through the National Library of Medicine, http://www.nlm.nih.gov – Search cow’s milk and any of the diseases listed above.” (The Pus-Bacteria Moustache, John McDougall, MD. 6.11.2003)

Here are some web pages to read some more on dairy, and why you should switch to an alternative today: www.notmilk.com & www.rense.com So I choose to go with almond milk. Thanks.

Earths-Own---Almond-Fresh-product