More Topics! Household Cleansers Giving To Charity Organizations Be Green At The Office Healthy & Organic Food Environmental Tips - Fall! Environmental Tips - Summer Environmental Tips - Winter Environmental Tips - Holidays Fuel Efficiency Learn about Donate a Dollar! Visit today and get 80 points per dollar spent! Visit today and get 80 points per dollar spent! Subscribe today and get 160 points per dollar spent! Welcome to Memolink's Low-Impact Living page. Explore this page and learn how making small changes in the way you live can make a big difference! Don't forget to read the Winter Tips for even more info! Have You Heard the Expression, "You Are What You Eat?" Most of us are biting off more than we can chew when it comes to our produce and meat products -and we don't even know it! Chemicals like pesticides, antibiotics and hormones are used in plant and animal farming to boost production and ensure adequate food supply. There are maximum levels set by the government to keep these harmful chemicals as low as possible. But you don't have to be a doctor to know that anything which kills insects and other living creatures is not likely to be very good for you. What can you do? Read on, friends and learn ways to make your diet a healthy and safe one. Pesticides and Chemicals Avoid Packaging Toxins Support Organic Farms Seafood Lovers Pesticides and Chemicals   back to top Food is the primary way in which people are exposed to many toxic pollutants, including dioxins, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), and mercury. Some industrial pollutants enter the food chain via deposition from the atmosphere; others, like pesticides, are intentionally applied to food crops. Still other foodborne contaminants come from food packaging and preparation. By choosing foods wisely, you can greatly reduce the number of toxins you and your family are consuming each day. Most Contaminated: The Dirty Dozen Apples Bell Peppers Celery Cherries Grapes Nectarines Peaches Pears Potatoes Red Raspberries Spinach Strawberries Why Should You Care About Pesticides? There is growing concern in the scientific community regarding the subtle ways in which small doses of pesticides affect people, especially during critical periods of fetal development and childhood when they can have long lasting adverse effects. Because the toxic effects of pesticides are worrisome, not well understood or in some cases completely unstudied, we would all be be wise to minimize exposure to pesticides whenever possible. Will Washing and Peeling Help? When compiling these lists of foods, scientists already consider how people typically wash and prepare produce (for example, apples are washed before testing, bananas are peeled). While washing and rinsing fresh produce may help reduce pesticide residues, it certainly does not eliminate them. Peeling reduces exposures, but valuable nutrients often go down the drain with the peel. The best option is to eat a varied diet, wash all produce, and choose organic when possible to reduce exposure to potentially harmful chemicals. Mix a Test Salad Click here to mix up your favorite garden salad and see what you're really eating! Which Foods Are Lowest in Pesticides? Asparagus Avocados Bananas Broccoli Cauliflower Corn (sweet) Kiwi Mangos Onions Papaya Pineapples Peas (sweet) TIP! Choose phthalate-free, recyclable containers and wraps such as Gladware containers, Tupperware's freezesmart line and Glad Cling Wrap. Avoid Packaging Toxins   back to top Plastic Wrap Plastic wrap should never come into direct contact with fatty food in the microwave. It is also important not to use leftover margarine or yogurt tubs in the microwave. Use ceramic or glass cookware instead. Microwavable packages These should be avoided. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) migrates from the packaging into the food, as do the adhesive components (and their degraded products) of the package. Boil-in-a-plastic bag foods Yes they're convenient, but they also leach harmful chemicals into the food you're cooking. Bleached paper products Use substitutes for bleached paper products that can come in contact with food, such as recycled coffee filters and glass bottles. BHT Avoid packaging with antioxidant preservatives such as BHT, an additive with a questionable safety record. Plastics Plastic tends to migrate into fatty foods, especially hot fatty foods. Don't leave cheese wrapped in its plastic wrapper sitting in the sun! Cool leftovers before placing in plastic storage containers. Also, package components can migrate into wet food, especially if the food contains alcohol, acid, or fat. Support Organic Farms    back to top YOUR DOLLARS SUPPORT THE FARMS YOU BUY FROM Although more and more large scale farms are making the conversion to organic practices, most organic farms are small independently owned and operated family farms of less than 100 acres. If you buy your meat and produce from an organic farm or at a farmer's market you support that farm. On the other hand, if you buy nonorganic meat that isn't local, free-range, or ranch-raised from a supermarket chain, you most likely support a multinational food conglomerate. You can contribute to the wellbeing of your community by supporting small, local, diverse organic farms. KEEP CHEMICALS OFF YOUR PLATE Many pesticides approved for use by the EPA were registered before extensive research linking these chemicals to cancer and other diseases has been established. Synthetic pesticides and fertilizers are not used on the food or land of organic farms. Residues of persistent chemicals such as DDT, PCBs, dioxin, and many pesticides concentrate in animal fat and our soil. Eating organic animal fat and produce reduces your exposure to these chemicals. PROTECT FARM WORKERS HEALTH A natural Cancer Institute study found that farmers exposed to herbicides had a six time greater risk than non-farmers of contracting cancer. In california, reported pesticide poisinings among farm workers have risen an average of 14 percent a year since 1973, and doubled between 1975 and 1985. Field workers suffer the highest rates of occupational illness in the state. Farm worker health also is a serious problem in developing nations, where pesticide use can be poorly regulated. An estimated 1 million people are poisoned annually by pesticides. SUPPORT A TRUE ECONOMY Although organic foods might seem more expensive than conventional foods, conventional food prices do not reflect hidden cost borne by taxpayers, including nearly $74 billion in federal subsidies in 1988. Other hidden costs include pesticide regulation and testing, hazordous waste disposal and clean up, and environmental damage. PROTECT WATER QUALITY Water makes up two-third of our body mass and covers three-fourths of the planet. Despite its importance, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), estimates pesticides (some cancer causing) contaminate the ground water in 38 states, polluting the primary source of drinking water for more than half the country's population. SAVE ENERGY American farms have changed drastically in the last three generations, from the family based small businesses dependent on human energy to large scale factory farms highly dependent on fossil fuels. Modern farming uses more petroleum than any other single industry, consuming 12 percent of the country's total energy supply. More energy is now used to produce synthetic fertilizers than to till, cultivate, and harvest all the crops in the United States. Organic farming still mainly based on labor-intensive practices such as weeding by hand and using green manures and crop covers rather than synthetic. Organic produce also tends to travel a shorter distance from the farm to your plate. TASTE BETTER FLAVOR There's a good reason many chef's use organic foods in their recipes. They taste better. Organic farming starts with the nutrients of the soil which eventually leads to the nurishment of the plant and ultimately our palates. FACT! Conventional farmers use around 300 different pesticides to grow foods that are sold in Supermarkets everyday. Mercury in Seafood   back to top Beat the risk of heart attack, strokes, mental decline in old age and prostate cancer- eat more fish! Fish oil is an important source of omega-3s, and other important nutrients like selenium, antioxidants and protein. However, fish also may absorb contaminants found in our ocean waters. Methyl mercury and PolyChlorinated Biphenyls that are absorbed may cause harm to us humans. Though helpful to our society, mercury has a scary side. It's toxic for people and wildlife. It endangers infants in the womb and chicks in their eggs. Power plants, chemical factories and incinerators spew it into air and water, polluting much of our seafood. Countless types of fish, including some of our most popular sport fish, are affected by mercury contamination. You might have heard that you can avoid pollutants in fish by removing all skin and fatty tissue before cooking, or by grilling so the fat can drip away. This does remove PCBs, but it doesn't remove mercury, which exists in the flesh of the fish. Some Fish to Be Avoid: Cod (Atlantic), Grouper, Mahi-Mahi, Chilean Seabass (Toothfish), Halibut (Atlantic), Monkfish, Orange Roughy, Red Snapper Some Fish to Enjoy: Wild Alaskan Salmon, Anchovies, Catfish (farmed), Crawfish, Dungeness Crab, Halibut (Pacific), Tilapia (US farmed), Tuna: Ahi, Yellowfin, Bigeye, Albacore(pole/troll-caught) Get a FREE Seafood Lover's Guide now to learn more about which seafood is safe and which isn't! Got Mercury? How much mercury are YOU eating every week? Calculate it now- Click Here TIP! The herb milk thistle has detoxifying effects and an excellent reputation for protecting and enhancing the function of the liver (the main organ responsible for processing toxins). Don't forget to...