Look Closer to what Our Kids are Eating
By Nancy Adler
I’m often asked , should I be worried about pesticides in my child’s foods? Unfortunately, Yes. Pesticide residues are often found on produce, and fruits and vegetables are an important part of your child’s diet.
Its true that pesticides protect crops from damage, which helps keep groceries affordable. But research shows that pesticides also contribute to a wide range of health problems, including cancer, lung disease, reproductive problems, and possibly disorders of the endocrine and immune systems. Animal testing indicates that pesticides can cause permanent changes in brain chemistry that may lead to behavioral disorders, learning disabilities, and even long-term damage to the brain and nervous system. Not good!
Pesticide exposure can affect your child’s health today and in the future. In fact, some effects may not become apparent until later in life. Children tend to eat a limited number of foods, which can increase their exposure to specific pesticides. They also eat more food relative to their body weight than adults do. Children may also absorb pesticides more easily. And because their gastrointestinal tract is still developing, their bodies may be less capable of breaking down toxins. Finally, pesticides can block absorption of the nutrients that are vital to healthy growth and development.
Keep in mind that eating food isn’t the only way your child can come in contact with pesticides: They can also get into drinking water. And if you use pesticides in your home or yard, that’s another way your child will be exposed. You can even track pesticides into your home on the soles of your shoes. Then your child can ingest the chemicals if he plays on the floor or puts something from the floor into his mouth, for example. What really concerns me is that Pesticides can also cross the placenta, so pregnant women need to take care to minimize exposure.
And please , don’t let a fear of pesticides make you serve less produce. Fruits and vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet for every child. Whatever you do , don’t cut back on your child getting in fruits and veggies daily. Remember , the negative impact of not including fruits and vegetables in your child’s diet is far greater than any potential risk from pesticides at the levels found in produce. And there are things you can do to reduce the amount of pesticides your child consumes without restricting produce in his diet.
I like to share a few ways to protect your child from overexposure of pesticides by practicing these few things.
Peel fruits and vegetables, and remove the outer leaves of vegetables like lettuce and cabbage.
Scrub (under running water) all fruits and vegetables that you don’t peel. Cleaning products specifically designed to wash produce may also help.
Some foods – like strawberries, grapes, broccoli, lettuce, and spinach – are more difficult to wash. Soak these briefly, then rinse.
Choose produce without mold, bruising, and decay. These are likely to harbor more pesticides.
Trim the fat off meat and remove the skin from poultry. Pesticides (and other environmental chemicals) are often concentrated in the fat and skin of poultry, meat, and fish.
Consider buying organic produce, especially foods your child eats a lot of.
Look for locally grown produce. Fruits and vegetables that are grown far away require after-harvest pesticides and waxes to help them survive the long trip. And produce that has to travel is often picked before ripening, which reduces flavor as well as nutrients.
Buy produce in season. Although it seems like a treat to buy juicy, red strawberries or tomatoes in the dead of winter, keep in mind that food grown out of season usually comes from another hemisphere. Again, this produce will be picked earlier and probably contain more pesticides.
Serve a wide variety of food, especially produce. A varied diet limits repeated consumption of the same pesticides.
These had the lowest levels of pesticide residue: onions, sweet corn, pineapple, avocado, cabbage, sweet peas, asparagus, mangoes, eggplant, kiwi, domestic cantaloupe, sweet potatoes, grapefruit, watermelon, and mushrooms.
These are the 12 fruits and vegetables with the highest levels of pesticide residue: apples, celery, sweet bell peppers, peaches, strawberries, imported nectarines, grapes, spinach, lettuce, cucumbers, domestic blueberries, and potatoes.
This doesn’t mean that you need to ban apples from your shopping cart, but you may not want to rely on them solely to meet your child’s fruit requirements. Introduce your child to many different kinds of fruit, including those with low pesticide residue, like kiwi and mangoes. And when you do serve apples that aren’t organic, wash them thoroughly or peel them.
Thinking organic is better? That’s up to you. Two recent research reviews found no compelling evidence that organic foods were nutritionally better than nonorganic foods. Eating organically grown foods may reduce your exposure to pesticides, but they have the same nutritional value as their conventionally grown counterparts. Also, some organic meat (like pork) doesn’t have the antibacterial properties that make it less likely for bacteria to grow. If you choose to buy organic produce, try to buy it directly from the producer – there’s a good chance it’ll be cheaper. Look for organic growers at your local farmer’s market, farm stand, or food cooperative.
And if you have the outdoor space, consider growing some of your own organic fruits and vegetables. Gardening is also a great way to teach your child about nutrition.
Nancy Adler is a certified nutritionist and practitioner in Linwood. Her office is located in Cornerstone Commerce Center, 1201 New Rd. Learn about her practice at www.nancyadlernutrition.com (609)653-4900
You may listen to Nancy every Sunday at 2 pm Nancy Adler Nutrition LIVE! NewsTalk 1400 WOND
