Want to know where your food comes from? Grow your own! 🌱😛 Avoid the pesticides and get your food fresh and full of nutrients! Did you know that conventionally grown tomatoes are high in pesticides? 🍅 The EWG ranked tomatoes among the top 12 most toxic conventional produce items in their annual “Dirty Dozen” report. Tomatoes are ranked 9th this year for highest pesticide laden produce while cherry tomatoes were ranked 13th. Tomatoes contain an average of 4 pesticides and one sample of tomatoes contained 15 pesticides! ⚠️ Pesticides have been linked to neurological damage and ADHD in children, as well as infertility and decreased sperm counts. Good quality long-term human studies are still lacking and it's very difficult to prove causation with food studies. But two studies from Harvard and Stanford showed important associations: women and men who consumed more produce from the high-residue category had a higher pesticide content in their urine (confirming the body is in fact absorbing these chemicals), and these women and men had more fertility problems. There is not enough research to definitively say that these chemicals from food cause these issues directly but we know about the associations and if we can reduce our exposure, we should. Health Canada suggests limiting your exposure to pesticides and washing your produce well to remove surface residues. Eat organic when possible!😋
At a minimum, choose organic for items in the Dirty Dozen! Check out the Dirty Dozen here 👉🏼 https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty-dozen.php
Sources: Smith-Spangler, C., Brandeau, M., Hunter, G., Bavinger, J., Pearson, M., & Eschbach, P. et al. (2012). Are Organic Foods Safer or Healthier Than Conventional Alternatives?. Annals Of Internal Medicine, 157(5), 348. Y-H Chiu et al., Association Between Pesticide Residue Intake from Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables and Pregnancy Outcomes Among Women Undergoing Infertility Treatment With Assistance Reproductive Technology. JAMA Internal Medicine.