--Dr. Mitchell Gaynor, MD, author of The Gene Therapy Plan
Grapes are the perfect summer snack for kids, right? Put them in the freezer and they turn to candy, frozen orbs of natural sugar. When I shop for grapes, I always look to see where they are grown. If they were grown in Mexico or in South America, then I never buy them. If the label does not say that they are grown organically (without chemicals), I don't buy them either. I only buy grapes grown organically and in the U.S.
The twelve fruits and vegetables recommended by Dr. Gaynor that should be purchased organically grown are:
- Apples
- Bell Peppers
- Celery
- Cherries
- Grapes, especially those grown outside of the U.S.
- Nectarines
- Peaches
- Pears
- Potatoes
- Raspberries
- Spinach
- Strawberries
Making the decision to eat healthier comes naturally with an
awareness of wanting to know how and where your food is grown. As my friend, Kevin O’Dare, owner of Osceola
Organics, says, “You should eat food the way God intended, grown without
anything added that came from a laboratory.” This is the lesson he teaches the children enrolled in Growing Healthy Kids' Nutrition Scientists Training Program.
One of my jobs is to study diseases and their root causes. There is an abundance of evidence-based research linking foods grown with chemicals to cancers and other diseases.
In 1974 Monsanto introduced an herbicide called Roundup to
effectively kill weeds without killing crops and plants. It is used in more than 160 countries. It is ranked as the second most widely used U.S. lawn and garden weed killer. Nearly all corn, soy, and cotton grown in the U.S. is treated with glyphosate (source: nationalgeographic.com). In July 2017 the State of California
implemented regulations that require the maker of Roundup to add a label that it is known to cause cancer. The
main ingredient, glyphosate, will appear on a list maintained by California of
potentially cancerous chemicals (source: Reuters.com June 26, 2017).
The use
of Roundup by farmers and the rise in cancer rates is no coincidence.
Here are 4 tips for getting great fruits and
vegetables that can keep you healthy, not make you sick:
- Shop at your local farmers markets whenever possible. For me, it is part of my Saturday morning tradition to get up and see what my local farmers have harvested. Talk with your local farmers and ask them if they use chemicals such as Round Up.
- Don’t buy fruits and vegetables grown outside of the U.S.
- Whenever possible, buy organically grown food, especially the fruits and vegetables listed above.
- Talk with the produce manager at your favorite grocery store. Let them know you are looking for organically grown foods so they will know there is a market for them.
Organically grown foods simply taste better, in addition
to being better for you.
Please pass the organically grown cherries.
With love and gratitude,
Nancy Heinrich, MPH
Founder, Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.
