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Pesticides in the Diet

If you want to cleanse your children’s bodies of pesticide residues, feeding them organic food can really help a lot.

According to a study recently published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, taking a child off conventionally grown fruits and vegetables (in favor of organically grown foods) produces an immediate drop in that child’s “body burden” of chemicals. The study, which examined pesticide levels in children in Seattle and Atlanta, had kids alternating between conventional and organic diets for 15-day intervals. Urine tests conducted twice daily found that pesticide levels in the children dropped within days of the switch to organics, and rose just as quickly when they went back to conventionally grown foods.

Pesticides and other chemicals found in some foods have been linked to problems such as learning disabilities and cancer. The more parents have learned about the potentially harmful effects of pesticides in recent years, the more they have turned to organic foods, which are now often readily available even in conventional grocery stores. Some parents have turned to diets completely free of pesticides and chemical additives or artificial flavorings, reporting positive changes in children’s behavior, focus, and learning abilities.

Previous research has also shown that children who eat conventionally grown fruits and vegetables are more likely to exceed EPA safety thresholds for organophosphate pesticides.

To see a copy of this study, please visit www.ehponline.org/docs/2006/114-2/ss.html.

For more information on pesticides and children’s diets, click here.

To learn more about reducing pesticide levels in the fruits and vegetables you purchase for your family, go to http://www.foodnews.org/index.php?key=nosign

To read more about this and other environmental health issues, go to www.environmentalhealthnews.org, www.ourstolenfuture.org or www.healthandenvironment.org.