3428: Should I Buy Organic Fruits and Vegetables and How Do I Minimize Exposure to Harmful Chemicals on Produce Safety

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[00:00:30] It's another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily and I'm Dr. Neal Malik. Hey there, welcome back to another special Friday edition of Optimal Health Daily where I answer your questions. On the other days, I read health and fitness blogs to you like an ongoing audiobook. Now if you want to know more about me and my credentials, definitely check out last week's Q&A episode. That's where I went into more details about all that. But I'm going to spare you from that long intro and I'm going to get right to today's Q&A episode.

[00:01:00] This is a quick question as we optimize your question as we optimize your life. Today's question came via email and Julie writes, Dear Dr. Neal, is buying organic fruits and vegetables worth it? If I can't afford the price, what's the best way to minimize my exposure to possibly harmful chemicals? Thanks. Thank you so much, Julie, for taking the time to send in your question.

[00:01:26] One of the concerns with consuming produce that is grown conventionally, meaning not organically, is exposure to pesticides. There have been associations between long-term pesticide exposure and certain diseases like cancer. Now most health agencies recommend that we should limit our exposure to certain pesticides.

[00:01:47] Now in the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Department of Agriculture are responsible for approving and regulating pesticides. The Environmental Protection Agency has been tasked with approving the safety of pesticides and determining how much exposure is considered safe. This agency can ban the use of pesticides after they are determined to be harmful to our health or the environment.

[00:02:16] If a pesticide is approved for use, the Food and Drug Administration and the United States Department of Agriculture take it from there, and they're responsible for making sure that these guidelines are being followed by produce growers. Sadly, this process isn't always followed. There are many reasons why this happens, so I won't go into detail about that here.

[00:02:39] However, this is why this happens, so I won't go into detail about that here.

[00:03:06] This is why this happens, so I won't go into detail about that here. What I'm sharing is specific to the United States. Each country has their own set of standards.

[00:03:34] In Europe, for example, many of the pesticides that are approved in the U.S. are banned there. Now here's what's particularly scary for those of us in the U.S. There are companies that still manufacture chemicals that are banned for use on U.S. soil. Now you may be thinking, that's not so scary. Well, that's because that's not the scary part.

[00:03:56] These U.S. produced chemicals are sold and shipped to other countries for use on their farms where they grow produce and livestock. Here's the really scary part. We then purchase the very same foods that are being grown on these farms in other countries where they're using these banned chemicals that we just sold them, and we re-import them back into the U.S. So from there, they end up on our grocery store shelves for our consumption.

[00:04:25] This is what's known as the circle of poison. Fun, no? So when it comes to pesticides and health risks, we need to think about how frequently we consume certain foods and in what quantities. For example, kale, as you're soon going to hear, is found on this dirty dozen list, meaning it typically contains lots of pesticide residues.

[00:04:49] So if you eat kale fairly often year-round, then I would suggest you purchase organically grown kale. On the other hand, if you hardly ever eat kale, then it may not be a big deal to purchase a variety that's conventionally grown. Now think about those foods that you consume quite often, and consider switching to purchasing a certified organic version if you can. So without further ado, here is the Environmental Working Group's list of fruits and vegetables

[00:05:16] with the highest pesticide residues. 1. Spinach 2. Kale, collard, and mustard greens 3. Strawberries 4. Grapes 5. Nectarines 6. Peaches 7. Cherries 8. Apples 9. Blackberries 10. Pears 11. Potatoes 12. Blueberries

[00:05:46] So these foods contain the highest pesticide residues. If you consume these foods often, maybe consider buying them organic. Now luckily, the Environmental Working Group also publishes what they call the Clean 15. These are foods that contain the fewest amounts of pesticide residues. So these foods include 1. Pineapple 2. Sweet Corn 3. Avocado 4. Papaya

[00:06:15] 5. Onion 6. Frozen Sweet Peas 7. Asparagus 8. Cabbage 9. Cauliflower 10. Watermelon 11. Mangoes 12. Bananas 13. Carrots 14. Mushrooms 15. Kiwi

[00:06:38] Now you may have noticed that many of the Clean 15 are foods that have thick peels or peels that we really don't eat. You can purchase conventionally grown foods with inedible or thick peels if you want to save money and still lower your risk of pesticide exposure. Now these lists only include fruits and vegetables, no animal products. What we know is that as we move up the biological chain from fruits and vegetables to animal products, the potential for pesticide exposure increases.

[00:07:08] This is due to something called biomagnification. So, as often as possible, whenever I purchase animal products like meat, poultry, eggs, or dairy, I buy organic to help reduce my exposure. So now the question is, are there any health consequences from being exposed to too many of these chemicals? Well, it's hard to know exactly how many individuals are exposed to pesticides at any given time.

[00:07:34] As I mentioned before, if someone eats mostly organically grown food, they probably have fewer pesticide residues in their body when compared to someone who eats food that's more conventionally grown. And unfortunately, there's no way to avoid all pesticides. Even if you were perfect and made sure to purchase all organic everything, you would still be exposed to pesticides. That's because they're often used not just in agriculture, but as bug sprays and rodenticides in our homes and offices.

[00:08:03] And the other thing is, how do scientists test for pesticide exposure? There are a few ways to do this, but the most common is by testing a person's urine. How accurate is that? We simply don't know. So how much pesticide exposure is too much? Unfortunately, we don't have an answer. Various U.S. governmental agencies have created guidelines for certain chemicals and have established thresholds for those chemicals. However, these thresholds are based on animal studies.

[00:08:33] So right now, there isn't a clear recommendation for all pesticides across the board. Most scientists, however, agree we probably want to limit pesticide exposure as much as possible, especially in younger children and those that are pregnant. So in summary, it is a good idea to reduce your pesticide exposure as much as possible. One way to do this is to consider buying organic or locally grown foods. Why locally grown?

[00:09:00] Well, in theory, if the food came from somewhere local, the growers didn't need to worry about preserving it. Hopefully, they picked the produce and got it to you in a relatively short period of time and no pesticides were needed. Now, what if you aren't able to purchase organically grown foods all the time, especially those on the dirty dozen list? Well, the best thing to do in that case would be to rinse and scrub the fruits and vegetables before you consume them, especially those with thin peels or skins.

[00:09:30] Rinse them under cool, running water. And again, be sure to scrub them. Researchers have found that water and friction are pretty darn effective at removing most pesticides on our produce. When it comes to animal products, if you can splurge just a little bit and purchase certified organic foods, that would be ideal. If you do these things, this will hopefully reduce your exposure significantly.

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[00:11:53] Just go to Indeed.com slash podcast right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com slash podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Need to hire? This is a job for Indeed sponsored jobs. Thank you so much for sending in your question, Julie. If you want your question answered right here on the show, send one in. You can email one to health at oldpodcast.com.

[00:12:23] Now, if you want to send one in via audio, come by oldpodcast.com slash ask to record right from your computer. Or you can do it the old-fashioned way and call in your question. The number is 61-ILOVE-OHD. All right, that wraps up another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily. Thank you so much for listening every day. Thank you for listening all the way through. I hope you have a great start to your weekend. And I'll see you back here tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.