posted on 2010-02-08 by JPerez
I have to remind myself constantly about the amount of pesticide and herbicide that are in our food supply, particularly in fresh produce. Yesterday, my wife had told me to buy organic apples for the kids' lunch. I would normally pick up the once that are pre-sliced and seal packed from Costco. They come in small packages each containing 8 slices of organic apples.

But the day was kinda hectic and didn't get the chance to go by Costco to pick up these organic apple slices before they closed. So, I had to go to Vons later in the day expecting that they would carry some organic ones. But they didn't. So without giving it much thought, I instead bought the normal kind.

Today, I was listening to a segment of DemocracyNow.org where Michael Pollan was a guest (if you don't know Michael Pollan I suggest that you should). As he was answering questions regarding our food industry's poor structure and policy, he had mentioned about the "Dirty Dozen", a quick guide to fruits and vegetables and their likelihood of containing the most pesticide. Apple is #2 as being the most fruit that contains pesticide, second only to peach being the highest.

I felt a bit guilty somehow for not picking up the organic ones after I listened to the program. I knew about the "Dirty Dozen" list, but has forgotten somehow. But I also understand the difficulty of always being on top of eating healthy. The amount of information that my wife and I have to remember, understand, research, and implement is staggering including the types of food and ingredients that we have to avoid. We also practice eating certain food that would counter the amount of toxins and heavy metals that are in our food and environment which are not always easy to avoid. It will be a long journey to get to the point of getting used to the systematic implementation of healthy and natural living. But we know that it would be worth the effort.

If you'd like to listen to Michael Pollan's DemocracyNow.org segment, please click the link below:

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/2/8/michael_pollan_on_food_rules_an

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If you'd like to know more about the "Dirty Dozens", you can visit the following site pages:

http://www.foodnews.org/fulllist.php
http://www.organic.org/articles/showarticle/article-214
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/nutrition/a/pesticides.htm