What’s Really in Our Food?

“The Industrial-

ization of our food system has done a great job of blurring the lines between

Healthy and

Unhealthy.” -Darya Rose, Author, Foodist

The industrialization of our food system has done an amazing job of blurring the lines between healthy and unhealthy. Before synthetic growth hormones, antibiotic resistant superbugs and BPA, healthy food was ubiquitous and you knew what you were getting into if you had an extra slice of pie. Now, even foods that should be healthy may have hidden toxins or other industrial byproducts that are potentially dangerous.

Conventional produce from the supermarket is often contaminated with pesticides that have been linked to Parkinson’s disease and birth defects. Choosing organic produce and buying from smaller, responsible farms can help reduce your exposure. Alternatively, you can use the annual guide published by the Environmental Working Group that identifies the “Dirty Dozen” most contaminated fruits and vegetables, as well as the “Clean Fifteen” that have the least pesticide residue.

In an attempt to avoid industrial food, many people have started growing their own vegetables and fruits in urban gardens. One concern, however, is that city soil is often contaminated with lead from paint and automobile emissions. Higher levels of lead have also been measured in the eggs of chickens from urban farms. To minimize your lead exposure from backyard gardens, maintain a soil ph above 6.5, which makes it less likely any lead will be absorbed by plants. Also, wash your vegetables rigorously, since most exposure comes from ingesting the soil stuck on the outside of the food.

Similarly, coal plants and other environmental toxins have resulted in the contamination of most of our lakes and waterways with mercury, making most of the fish that come from them unsafe. Farmed fish can have less mercury, but are more likely to contain pcbs, an industrial byproduct that has been linked to cancer. Wild caught ocean fish, especially smaller ones where fewer toxins can accumulate, are the best way to avoid mercury and PCB exposure.