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5 Reasons to Eat Organic Apples

In a previous post, I wrote that milk is the most important organic product that a family can buy.

But milk is by no means the only item that people should be concerned about.

The worst offender on the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen list are apples.

Forbes magazine recently did an excellent piece talking about five reasons to eat organic apples, and I wanted to share the highlights with you and provide commentary. To read the full article, click here.

Reason #1 – The average conventionally grown apple has more pesticide residue on it than any other fruit or vegetable.

Data from the Environmental Working Group showed that 98% of 700 apples tested had pesticides on them and that 48 different pesticides appeared. WOW!!!!

48 different pesticides are being used on apples. This I did not know.

Reason #2: We are not quite sure what some of those pesticides do to humans or the environment.

Well, I’d say we have a decent idea what these pesticides are doing to humans and the environment. And it’s not good.

The Forbes article cites a pesticide called Paraquat that is regularly sprayed on apples. Paraquat is made by Syngenta and is under scrutiny for a possible link to Parkinson’s diseases,

Interestingly enough, Syngenta also makes a toxic herbicide called Atrazine, which has been found in 94% of our water supply.

The Pesticide Action Network reports that Atrazine has been linked to endocrine disruption, reproductive problems, and cancer.

Furthermore, Professor Tyrone Hayes, Endocrinologist at the University of California, reported from his research that frogs exposed to Atrazine were turning into hermaphrodites.

To learn more about how chemicals are ruining our water supply, I strongly recommend that you watch the documentary called Flow – trailer is below.

Reason #3: Farm owners and workers like to live and work in safe environments too.

Unfortunately, we don’t think enough about the health of farm workers when deciding to buy organic or not. Yet, this must become a consideration.

Many of these people have no alternative but to work in these highly toxic fields because they must feed their families. This comes with serious consequences, however.

According to research published in the Environment Health Perspectives, pregnant women who are exposed to organophosphate pesticides have a very, very high probability of having kids who suffer from ADHD.

Reason #4: Apples are one of the country’s favorite fruits – and eating more organic apples could immediately impact farming.

Apples are the third most consumed fruit in the U.S. and account for over 350,000 acres. Yet, only 6% of the apples we grow are organic.

If we can alter our consumption habits, we can make a serious dent in the amount of pesticides being sprayed on our land and we’ll encourage conventional farmers to switch to organic.

There is no force more powerful than using the basic principles of supply and demand to enact change.

Reason #5: Organic apples don’t cost an arm and a leg, and are a great snack.

I agree with this one wholeheartedly.

One complaint that I hear all of the time is that organic is too expensive. Yet an at average price of $1.50 per pound, organic apples are great way to keep the body healthy.

And the health benefits of apples are numerous. It has been reported that the phytonutrients in apples can help regulate blood sugar, and apples also can play an important role in preventing heart disease.

A message from Tradin Organic

Why Tradin Organic is Prioritizing Regenerative Organic Farming

At Tradin Organic, we believe that regenerative organic farming is key to growing healthy and nutritious food ingredients — for now and for future generations.

And in Sierra Leone, we have grown the world’s first Regenerative Organic Certified cacao.

Learn more.

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Organic Insider

Better Choices

USDA Approves Genetically-Engineered Apples that Don’t Turn Brown

It seems like every day that passes, the USDA approves another very risky GMO crop, all to the benefit of biotech/chemical companies and to ZERO benefit for consumers.

This time, the USDA has approved a first-of-its-kind genetically-engineered (GE) apple that doesn’t turn brown after bruising or slicing.

The apple, developed by the company Okanagan Specialty Fruits, uses a relatively new form of genetic engineering called RNA interference, or gene silencing, which has raised numerous concerns from consumer groups, environmentalists, and the apple industry.

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A message from Tradin Organic

How Tradin Organic is Helping Coconut Farmers in The Philippines

For more than a decade, Tradin Organic has been working with local partners in The Philippines to bring a diversified range of organic products to the market, such as coconut oil, tropical fruits and even cocoa.

The company is helping to support local farmers by assisting them with technical support and organic certification, in addition to paying Fairtrade premium on top of the organic premium.

Learn more.

Living Maxwell

Better Choices

Are Fermented Foods the Key to Happiness?

Whether it is with a salad or any other dish that I am making at home, organic fermented foods – usually sauerkraut (above) or kimchee – can almost always be found on my plate. Why is this?

I have come to understand that if we want to have a strong immune system, we must take care of our gut and provide it with beneficial bacteria.

And that is exactly what fermented foods give us – beneficial bacteria.

Dr. Natascha Campbell-McBride, a Russian neurologist and founder of the GAPS Diet, says that:

“about 85% of our immune system is located in the gut wall. This fact has been established by basic physiology research in the 1930s and the 1940s. Your gut, your digestive wall, is the biggest and the most important immune organ in your body. There is a very tight conversation and a relationship going on between the gut flora that lives inside your digestive system and your immune system.

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Organic Insider

Better Choices

Another Reason to Eat Organic — Child Labor and Sustainability Issues with Many Conventional Chocolate Brands

For many of us when we eat a piece of chocolate, our biggest concern is how many grams of sugar we are consuming.

Yet, how often do we ask ourselves — was this chocolate bar made with the help of child labor? Or, was the cocoa produced in a way that resulted in deforestation to the environment?

The truth about cocoa – the main ingredient in chocolate – is quite grim.

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livingmaxwell: a guide to organic food & drink