What’s On Your Food?

Posted by Ben:

 

Once in a while, something comes along that can change your perspective almost immediately. It may be a book, a picture, a documentary, a lecture, a work of art…etc. In this case, it’s a website. My friends  over at iHealthTube.com sent me a link earlier this week that changed the way I thought about the food on my dinner plate in a matter of a few clicks of my mouse. Unfortunately my change in attitude was not for the better…

 

Growing up, we are taught, maybe not directly, that the food we eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner is safe. We have nothing to worry about, we tell ourselves, when we gather round the kitchen table and dig in, eat and drink. We know we’re safe because the food tastes good, the labels tell us how nutritious the various items are, and we’ve never really gotten sick from a home-cooked meal. It’s only restaurants and fast-food chains that we have to worry about, right?
 

Basically, that’s what I believed. I believed that if I washed my produce and cooked my meat properly, there was nothing to be concerned about. I knew there were some dangers with eating cooked meat and the carcinogens associated with it, but I was certain that my fruits and vegetables were 100% safe after a good rinse in the sink.
 

That was my belief before I clicked open WhatsOnMyFood.org.
 

That was before I read that an average American child consumes 5+ servings of pesticide residues each day. That was before I learned that 71% of all U.S. drinking water contains a pesticide called Atrazine that is banned in Europe because it disrupts hormone systems. The more I clicked through this eye-opening website, the more I learned about the dangers lurking throughout my kitchen.
 

I’ve been eating more and more organic foods over the past couple of years, and this informational site proves that the extra cost from supporting my local farmers’ markets may in fact be well worth it for me and my family’s health. The site also compares the pollutant levels of traditionally grown versus organically grown foods to give you an easy-to-understand, side-by-side comparison of health benefits (or detriments).
 

Check out WhatsOnMyFood.org to see what kinds of pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, chemicals and other pollutants may be contaminating your favorite foods. Your perspective may change, but contrary to my leading paragraph, I feel this change is actually for the better. Becoming more informed is almost always a positive change, and it will help you make more informed decisions about the food you and your family eats every single day.

 
Posted by Ben