I came across this article, “7 Foods That Should Never Cross Your Lips”, by Anne Underwood today, and I just had to share this on my blog.  I was shocked by the information, and it drove me to immediately take Action to avoid these 7 foods.  Here is the list, in order of relevance:

1. Conventional Apples (ah! I eat a conventional apple everyday! NOT anymore!!)

PROBLEM: If fall fruits held a “most doused in pesticides contest,” apples would win. Why? They are individually grafted (descended from a single tree) so that each variety maintains its distinctive flavor. As such, apples don’t develop resistance to pests and are sprayed frequently.

SOLUTION: Buy organic apples. (More of the story…)

2. Nonorganic Potatoes (I normally don’t eat potatoes, but every now and then I allow myself some Potato Home Fries on a Sunday afternoon, but NOT anymore):

PROBLEM: Root vegetables absorb herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides that wind up in soil. In the case of potatoes—the nation’s most popular vegetable—they’re treated with fungicides during the growing season, then sprayed with herbicides to kill off the fibrous vines before harvesting. After they’re dug up, the potatoes are treated yet again to prevent them from sprouting. “Try this experiment: Buy a conventional potato in a store, and try to get it to sprout. It won’t,”…

SOLOUTION: Buy organic potatoes. Washing isn’t good enough if you’re tring to remove chemicals that have been absorbed into the flesh. (More of the story…)

3. Farmed Salmon (wild caught and farm-raised can be easily mixed up, but NOT anymore!!)

PROBLEM: Nature didn’t intend for salmon to be crammed into pens and fed soy, poultry litter, and hydrolyzed chicken feathers. As a result, farmed salmon is lower in vitamin D and higher in contaminants, including carcinogens, PCBs, brominated flame retardants, and pesticides such as dioxin and DDT. According to Carpenter, the most contaminated fish come from Northern Europe, which can be found on American menus. “You could eat one of these salmon dinners every 5 months without increasing your risk of cancer,”

SOLUTION: Switch to wild-caught Alaska salmon. If the package says ATLANTIC, it’s farmed. There are no commercial fisheries left for wild Atlantic salmon. (More of the story…)

 

4. Milk Produced with Artificial Hormones (I’ve been steering away from dairy. I’m allergic, and I only indulge when I eat frozen yogurt 🙂 (every now and then)

5. Microwave Popcorn (This one was especially disappointing. It WAS a nice low-calorie snack, but with new research updates, it’s not worth it)

6. Canned Tomatoes

7. Corn-Fed Beef