Pesticides The average consumer believes that eating fruits and vegetables is a great way to stay healthy. Fresh produce helps provide the body with the vitamins it needs to thrive. The antioxidants in fruits and vegetables boost the immune system and help slow the aging process, but harsh food pesticides often cause these food items to end up doing more harm than good.

Pesticides in Produce

Healthy consumers agree that nothing beats the taste of fresh fruits and vegetables, and crop-destroying insects couldn’t agree more. These pesky bugs can have devastating effects on crops. Eradicating infestations can be a challenge, and pesticides are often used to help non-organic farmers keep a handle on insect numbers. Over the years, organic farming methods have greatly improved, and using these food pesticides is no longer necessary. However, pesticides are a cheaper alternative to organic options, and so are more commonly used despite harmful health effects.

Pesticides and Skin Issues

The human body can have an adverse reaction to just about anything it comes into contact with. However, it is far more likely that a person will develop a skin issue by touching an apple that has been treated with food pesticides than an apple that was grown organically. It is common for people to develop rashes on areas that have come into contact with food pesticides. Hives are frequently reported as well. Long-term exposure to such dangerous chemicals has been shown to increase a person’s chances of developing skin cancer, a dangerous condition once only associated with sun exposure.

Other Effects of Pesticides

The damaging effects of food pesticides doesn’t stop with skin issues. Consumption of harsh chemicals, even in small doses and over a short period of time, can cause reproductive issues as well as birth defects. Some people develop nerve damage as a result of long term exposure to food pesticides. In the long run, ingesting the pesticides that sit on produce can be the genesis of a variety of cancers. Pesticides are carcinogenic, and depending upon the chemical used, can promote tumor growth and leukemia, and even encourage cancer to spread to the lymphatic system in the body.

Washing Foods to Prevent Illness

To keep family members healthy, consumers should wash all fruits and vegetables prior to consumption to eliminate any chemical residue. Produce washes are available on the market to sanitize fruits and vegetables to make them ready for consumption. Or, to make a homemade food wash, simply place produce in a solution for five minutes. Combine 1 cup of water and 1 cup of vinegar, then add 2 tablespoons each of lemon juice and baking soda. This mixture will remove nasty pesticides from the fields, as well as any germs and bacteria the produce has accumulated during transportation. It only takes a few minutes to wash fruits and vegetables before taking a bite out of them. To prevent the development of skin issues, as well as many other detrimental health effects, consumers should always wash produce that has been treated with pesticides. Image Source: Flickr/Creative Commons/jetsandzepplins