I am a big proponent of eating organically and locally produced foods as much as possible.  Pesticides should be avoided as much as possible in one’s diet.  Why?  Well, let’s face it, most pesticides at use today were originally developed as neurotoxins for chemical warfare.  They can’t possibly be contributing to our health and well being.  In short, they impact our immune system, brain chemistry and metabolism.

However, eating organic produce does have a drawback.  Organically grown produce can be very expensive and not everyone has an unlimited food budget.  I strongly believe that it is best to purchase organic produce whenever possible to reduce your exposure to the many pesticides that are in our foods.  Pesticides that cause lasting health issues and stay in your body far longer than the food they came with.

Can washing and peeling food help?  Yes, it certainly can.  However, even good washing does not remove all pesticides from food and you lose valuable nutrients when you peel foods.

What are some realistic remedies for the high cost of organic goods?

• Grow your own – even if you have limited space, you can grow a lot of vegetables and fruits in containers (sometimes even inside).  Tomatoes, carrots, radishes, blueberries, greens (lettuce, spinach, kale, chard), and many more grow well in containers
• Join a CSA.  CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture.  A CSA subscription gives you weekly access to organic produce throughout the growing season.  Membership in a CSA also has the added benefit of supporting local agriculture.  You can search for a local CSA at http://www.localharvest.org/csa/
• Use your organic foods budget to purchase those foods most likely to be contaminated by pesticides using the list provided by foodmatters.org below:For more information check out their site at http://foodmatters.tv/articles-1/a-shoppers-guide-to-pesticides