7 Basic products for organic diet
Doing some changes in our diet can reduce the harmful elements contained in many products dramatically. This is the conclusion that the Environmental Working Group has come after an investigation.
Seven key foods
This organization offers a list of seven key foods to reduce the intake of chemicals in our diet. According to the EWG, there are some products whose physical characteristics and the production process involved, pose a great risk to our health. The group has identified seven high-risk products for our health because they contain usually a high level of chemicals.
According to the NGOs to have a healthy life, just buy the organic version of those dangerous foods that most frequently appear in our diet.
So to start the change, the association proposes to consume the organic version of the following:
- Dairy products: although consumption is essential in childhood, the abundance of chemicals and added hormones and antibiotics in their production undermines the beneficial effects of non-organic milk.
- Potatoes / potato is a staple not only in USA but also in Europe. But the potato is a root vegetable production in which pesticides are used. Worse, many of these chemicals cannot be eliminated even though the wash and peeling.
- Meat: EWG says animal products contain antibiotics, hormones and heavy metals that are used to accelerate the growth of animals. This group includes poultry and eggs.
- Ketchup: staple in the American diet, several studies indicate that, besides having no chemical residues, organic ketchup has double the antioxidant effects of conventional.
- Apples from the fruit, the apple is the most dangerous, due to the large amount of pesticides used in their production. According to EWG, "an organic apple a day is essential for not stepping on the doctor's office."
- Coffee: Coffee conventional crops are based on the intensive use of pesticides, and contribute to deforestation.
- Nuts and seeds: pesticides and fungicides are widely used in the production of these products. Many varieties are "bleached" after the harvest. In the group includes some cream and peanut butter.
EWG has published recently, the "Shopper's Guide on Pesticides in Production", a guide that reviews products with chemical contents in the U.S. The list is based on the results of nearly 43,000 tests for pesticides in food in the country during 2000 and 2005.
The EWG project
The mission of the Environmental Working Group (EWG) is to use the power of public information to protect public health and the environment. It is a nonprofit organization, founded in 1993 by Ken Cook and Richard Wiles.
EWG specializes in providing useful resources such as the "Consumer Guide on Pesticides in Production" and provides information to consumers, in addition to carrying out actions that seek to change national policy in this regard.
Organizational goals
- Protecting the most vulnerable population (children, babies and pregnant women) of the health problems attributed to a wide range of toxic pollutants.
- Replacing federal policies, including government subsidies that damage the environment and natural resources, with policies that invest in conservation and sustainable development.