Beware! Something Unusual May Be in Your Food

Although U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has convinced us with reduced pesticides used on vegetables and fruits, there are still foods loaded with chemicals flooding our local market. Cranberries, grapes, pears, raspberries, plums, oranges, apples, peaches, cherries, watermelons, bananas, lemons, cantaloupes, tangerines, grapefruits are some of the known fruits which have been reported with detectable pesticides. According to the laboratory test, apples and peaches are among the worst fruits that are packed with the maximum number of chemicals/pesticides. Green beans, cucumbers, cauliflowers, mushrooms, lettuce, celery, sweet bell peppers, spinach, potatoes, eggplant, sweet potatoes, broccoli, tomatoes, winter squash, carrots are some of the vegetables that were found to be contaminated with the most heavily-laden pesticides, but lettuce and celery are among the vegetables with the worst contamination.

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Not surprisingly, if one finds much poison go into their bodies due to the intake of certain foods. Clinical reports have proved that those who eat conventional foods have been shown to have substantially higher level of biological markers of organophosphates (Note: These chemicals are known to cause nerve damage. Previously, organochlorines, highly toxic and non-biodegradable chemicals were used to treat crops but later they were banned and are now replaced with organophospates) and other residues appearing in their urine, blood and saliva, in which the toxicity levels were considered above the safe level by health institutions.

The chemical compound found in the pesticides, as according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), can bring neurological effects particularly among the children. Meanwhile, these chemicals do block the absorption of essential nutrients for healthy growth of children especially when their internal organs are still developing. In some cases, the pesticide residues may be harmful and toxic for pregnant moms, pets, patients, and elderly.

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Nowadays, many of the toxic chemicals used in farming are a public health concern as they‘re closely linked to cancer, infertility, birth defects, abnormality, deformation, mentally retarded diseases among the babies and other chronic or acute health issues due to both chronic long-term exposure and acute poisoning. Additionally, the medical personnel have connected pesticide exposure to memory decline, destabilisation of moods, Parkinson’s, depression, asthma, migraine, irritable bowel, rhinitis, eczema, aggressive outbursts and 40% of them have been proved to be cancer promoting. The toxic genetic chemicals (such as hormones, steroids, herbicides, insecticides and etc.) for example, can cause destruction to environment, ecosystem and food webs if they’re used widely in agriculture or on foods. Imagine that the destruction of these chemicals can be equal to the damage by 72,500 atomic bombs of Hiroshima type (or 145 H-bombs of 14 megatons each)! In short, the combination of multiple chemicals is extremely harmful to both our health and environment.

Today, we may be blessed with abundant foods flooding our markets, supermarkets or stores. But do you know that most foods are highly processed in a form they shouldn’t be, and with minimal nutritional value? Some of them are even packed with illegal hormones, synthetic chemicals, artificial colorings, pesticides residues, food additives, flavorings, additional added artificial proteins, vitamins and minerals, to enhance their taste, appearance and aroma. Typically, these foods are in excess of refined carbohydrates, protein, fat, sugar content, but lack of fiber. Many of them, grain crops in particular, are identified to be genetically modified (genes from animals are shot into the cells of the plants to create “super plants”), which has always created a controversial debate. 

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Normally, perishable and high value added products of fruits and vegetables are both “processed” with pesticides just after their harvest. To make them appearing fresh and last longer during distribution and shipment, the products in the same wooden bin are treated with more than one pesticide, leaving them with higher pesticide residues.

After fumigation/chemical treatment, apples, pears and potatoes can last 8 to 16 weeks; oranges, grapefruits, kiwi fruits and grapes can last 4 to 8 weeks, while avocados, bananas, plums and mangoes can last 2 to 4 weeks.

Many of us may hardly think that the imported fruits and vegetables that we bought had been treated with pesticides, rodenticides, fungicides and other additional chemical elements. Fungicide in particular, is widely used to prevent the spoilage of fruits and vegetables. According to USDA, over 90% of non-organic/conventional fruits were tested with at least one pesticide residues. Their pesticide residues (which are sprayed during post-harvest storage) could hardly washed away since their outer skins are covered with a layer of wax. This is not like pesticide spraying during cultivation as they can sometimes be washed away by rain. These fruits and vegetables may appear fresh to you, but their chemical and pesticide residues will finally end up in your stomach.

Now, let’s take a look on some of the examples of these foods. They contain something unusual!

Apples

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Since the beginning of 2000, apples have been tested to have Toxicity Index (TI) up to hundreds times higher than other crops. Specifically, they’ve been ranked as the most contaminated fruits ever. Thiabendazole, Azinphos methyl and Diphenylamine (DPA) are three most common pesticides that are used to treat apples.

Apples are picked even they’re still green (under ripe), and be loaded in the truck. Once the truck reaches the warehouse, these apples are sprayed with thiabendazole for about 20 minutes. This chemical has been known notoriously for causing birth defects or deformations. It’s really sad to see that immoral merchants have used this strong ingredient to treat the apples! After sorting out the apples carefully, the apples are treated with preservatives such as 1-methylcyclopropene (1-mcp), diphenylamine to keep them juicy and crispy. Before keeping storage in a warehouse for at least 3 months (may up to a year), the apples are waxed with shellac or carnuba wax. In the warehouse, they’re kept refrigerated to 32 degrees with reduced level of oxygen and this helps to make apples last longer. They may have appeared to you juicy and crispy but instead their taste has gone away. You can recognize these so-called Zombies apples by just having a bite on it.

Bananas

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The Calcium Carbide is used to help the bananas ripen rapidly. This ‘medicine” works like a magic because it can turn the bananas into a perfect yellow color. It produces a substance known as acetylene gas while dissolving in water, and the bananas are put into it to accelerate the ripening process. It has been known that this substance is highly hazardous as it contains traces of phosphorus and arsenic which can harm human’s health. Besides Calcium Carbide, ammonia or sulphur dioxide are also used to effectively have bananas ripen quickly. The bananas may appear nice yellow color to you, but the fresh will be a bit harder to bite on. It tastes neither sweet nor soft in texture. Instead, the taste has gone and the bananas are more toxic to be consumed.  In high concentration, Sulphur dioxide is carcinogen as it has been known to damage nervous system, kidney and liver function.

Normally, bananas are soaked into a solution called benonomyl, a well-known carcinogenic substance, which has been clinically proven to cause abnormal birth and may also impact the male reproductive system. Later, the bananas are sprayed pesticides for at least two times. Even though Benonomyl has long been banned by the Supreme Court of the United States, it’s still used by certain countries to treat the bananas. The Japanese government has tested that both the flesh and skin of bananas containing substantial amount of benonomyl and chlorpiryfos.

Cherries

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In the warehouse, cherries are sprayed seven times, and finally they’re sprayed with pesticides, at least 2 times. Cherries are also soaked in a solution of fungicide to make them last longer.

Generally, the exported cherries are fumigated with Methyl bromide for 2 hours under a temperature of 43 degree Fahrenheit. The fumigation treatment is done with the aim to kill any potential codling moth (a type of post-harvest pest). 17% is absorbed by the bulk wooden bin that is used to put the cherries. The absorption of wooden box will then lead to metabolic changes and decomposition. Cherries that have been treated in this manner do not rot away even 7 weeks later at room temperature. The cherries may have been treated multiple times during storage and shipment. When humans get exposed to high concentrations of methyl bromide (is also identified as ozone deplete), it can lead to deleterious effects on skin, lungs and eyes, and both respiratory and nervous system failure. Dear friend, do you think these cherries are safe to eat? 

Dates

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If dates are not available organically grown, they contain more pesticide residues and growth hormones. The extensive date production has always meant to large pesticide inputs, with approximately 80% of pesticides applied on them by aerial spraying, exposing many workers to potential harmful poisons. The laboratory results revealed that dates contain chemical residues of cypermethrin, DDT, dieldrin and gamma-HCH. When dates are treated with artificial coloring or chemical dye, and be waxed by industrial used paraffin, these dates are highly toxic to be consumed.

Dairy Products

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Melamine has been used extensively by the irresponsible food producers in the purpose to disguise low protein levels in their products to boost their profits. Its high nitrogen content is used to usually give off the high protein level readings in food products. Generally, Melamine has about 66% Nitrogen by its mass, which is approximately equivalence to 10 to 12% of the typical protein and thus it can cause the protein content of food to appear higher than its true value. By adding Melamine into dairy and other products, the food producers can reduce their costs significantly. Also, when it is added to food items the Nitrogen can artificially increase protein levels, translating into higher prices. In August 2008, the Chinese made milk powder was detected with the presence of Melamine. Again in September, 2008, Melamine was found in dairy products of 22 Chinese firms, making thousands of babies sickening and deaths due to the developed of stones in kidneys. On September 21, 2008, many Taiwan made products were found to contain Melamine. By September 22, 2008, approximately 53,000 people in China had reported ill, of which 12,800 of them were in hospitalization and 4 babies were reported dead (quoted from my previous article entitled killers in kidneys: commercial dairy products).

Grapes

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In order to inhibit the growth of mold, the grapes are continually fumigated with carbon dioxide for several months before marketing. Approximately 5,000 ppm of carbon dioxide is used to fumigate the grapes for as long as half an hour. The seedless grapes are even “treated” with carbon dioxide for as long as 14 weeks before keeping storage. This is done before the grapes are exported to other countries.

The above mentioned chemical substance can be absorbed easily by fruits and it has been known to cause rashes, swelling, shortness of breath, coma and even may cause death among the allergic people. Well, a small volume of carbon dioxide is not enough to take away human’s life immediately, but a long-term exposure can cause human fall sick suddenly, or may cause a change in the cells.

Unripe grapes are wet-soaked into diluted Ethephon (plant growth regulator) solution to help reach the maturity more quickly. After soaking for 2 to 3 days, green colored grapes will turn into purple colored grapes. These types of grapes have an uneven color, low in sugar content, tasteless and have extremely lessened juices. It’ll be very harmful if your body gets exposed to these chemical residues in a long-run, and of course, your immune system will be weakened gradually. When your immune system is weakened, your body is unable to fight against the intrusion of deadly germs and pathogens.

Lemons

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Just after the harvest, lemons are transported from the farm to the warehouse, a place where lemons are usually kept refrigerated overnight under a temperature range of 55 to 60 degree Fahrenheit. The fresh weight lemons will then be sprayed with 2,4-D (2, 4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) prior to the storage. This is done to reduce decaying and to maintain the fresh appearance of the lemons. (Note: long-term exposure to 2,4-D can result in reduction in weight gain, nervous and digestive system failure, loss of reflexes, vomiting, muscle weakness, brief lowering of blood pressure, mucous membrane irritation and changes in blood chemistry as well). Besides 2,4-D, lemons are also sprayed with thiabendazole.  

Lychees

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To make the unattractive color of lychee to be more appearing and tempting to the consumers, lychee is either soaked into sulfuric acid solution or water sprayed by ethephon. This dissolved solution is strong acidic in nature which can cause skin peeling off, mouth swelling, and it’s strong enough to get your stomach burnt off. Lychees that are treated with this harmful chemical can be spoiled easily. Some immoral dealers even have lychees fumigated with sulfur or sulfur dioxide. Numerous cases have proved that lychees were found to contain pesticide residues higher than the national standard and high levels of dangerous chemicals as well. Your eyes or/and throat will get irritated by these carcinogens. The prolonged exposure to these chemical residues may undoubtedly lead to abdominal pain, dizziness and severe diarrhea. Long-term consumption of this fruit is highly risky as it contains excessive levels of pesticide residues which may have brought health risks for consumer, including acute and chronic poisoning.

Maize

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Maize is another plant that is seriously contaminated with chemical pesticides of methyl parathion, aldicarb, dimethoate, carbaryl, chloropyrifos. Laboratory results concluded that maize was contaminated with at least one chemical residue, and it was observed to have contained about 70% of the multiple chemical pesticides.

Mangoes

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Lime is used to force unripe green mangoes turning into a perfect yellow color, so that when the outer skins of the mangoes are opened, they appear orange yellow to the eyes of the consumers. These mangoes have no taste at all. Neither they’ve good smell nor better natural fragrance. Excessive consumptions of these mangoes, of course, can create chronic health issue as they do accommodate certain non-specific preservatives.

Meats

Meat is high in saturated fat and cholesterol which is the major culprit to high LDL (bad cholesterol) in our blood stream. The meat you eat everyday may contaminate with poisonous diseases, antibiotics, hormones, bacteria, DDT and medicinal drugs. Meat is tasty to eat but it may cause stones in the kidney, high blood pressure, heart attacks, cancer, obesity, mad cow disease, stroke, Salmonella, the hardening of the arteries and other chronic diseases. Think before you eat! (quoted from my previous articles entitled the amazing facts about the meat and think before you eat).

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This type of food contains very high proportion of “Triphenyl Sibing topiramate”, a carcinogenic substance that causes cancer. This chemical substance is found in the barbecue, grilled or roasted meats. When this chemical compound comes to contact with the stomach, and the gastric mucosa, the possibility of getting gastric cancer is always very high (quoted from my previous article entitled top 10 deadliest foods).

Oranges

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In the warehouse, the outer skins of the oranges are normally sprayed with fungicides for at least three times. Most imported oranges or citrus fruits are “disinfected” with methyl bromide, which is also the most commonly used pesticide. Methyl bromide has been clinically shown to damage lungs, kidneys, heart and neurological system. This chemical has been banned in 2005 as documented in the Montreal Protocol and the U.S. Clean Air Act for most uses in both the developed countries and the United States, but surprisingly it’s still widely used to treat oranges, tangerines, grapefruits and any other citrus fruits.

Oranges are then soaked in Iprodione, a type of animal carcinogen, which can cause birth defects in both animals and humans. When the skin and flesh of oranges are processed into other products (such as juice, jam, and etc.), undoubtedly, we’ve unaware to add these chemical substances directly into our stomach. In England, certain juices have been tested to have multiple pesticide residues.

Peaches

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Peaches are soaked in an industrial used citric acid to make them non-perishable and fresh. This chemical is carcinogen as it’ll impair the nervous system, induce allergy, and even can cause cancer. Semi-ripened peaches are added with alum, sodium cyclamate and even alcohol, to optimize their flavor and aroma, giving better tasting peaches. White peaches have also been tested with residues of sulfur dioxide. For your information, the main component of alum is aluminum sulfate, in which prolong or long-term consumption of these peaches can lead to bristle bones, memory loss (or dementia), reduced skin elasticity that causes more wrinkles.

Pears

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Toxic chemicals and growth hormones are being used on pears to make them appearing fresh and ripe. Bleach solution, synthetic color or dye is applied to bleach the color of the pears. These pears taste bad, and some of them may have released a foul smell. Illegal growth regulators are also used to treat pears, and these chemical substances can cause a mild stomach upset among the toddlers. Their devastating effects are known to disrupt the functionality of the central nervous system. Pears which are treated in this manner generally have relatively short storage time and of course, they’re perishable.

Pomegranate

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An artificial sweetener, saccharin solution is used to inject into pomegranate to enhance its sweetness (note: pure saccharin tastes over hundred times as sweet as sugar). Saccharin has known to have zero nutritional value. When more intakes of saccharin are taken, the normal secretion of stomach juices may have disrupted, in which this condition will cause a decline in the absorption ability of the small intestine, and eventually leading to a reduced appetite. If you consume saccharin in a large volume within a short period, it’ll lead you to a phenomenon of thrombocytopenia (reduced platelet count), which further causing acute hemorrhage (heavy bleeding), wear off/ damage multiple internal organs, and may have also triggered a chronic state of poisoning. 

Potatoes

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Prior to the storage, potatoes are treated with chlopropham (a sprout inhibitor) to suppress sprouting, and to reduce potatoes dry rot, gangrene, or to control skin spot, active ingredients such as 2-Aminobutane, and Thiabendazole are used. Sometimes, Rodenticides (to kill rodents) are also used in storage on ware potatoes to prevent spoilage.

Some potatoes still reveal residues of chlordane, DDT and dieldrin, even though these chemicals were banned to use since 1978. Potatoes are also seen to have contained chemical substances of dimethoate, deltametrin, carbendazim, captan, azinphos methyl, aldicarb, cypermethrin, and carbaryl.

Rice

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The rice here has been kept storage for a longer period. Surprisingly, the amount of Aspergillus flavus (microbes that produce toxin, in which they can cause severe illness in human) found in the rice is far more many times over the standard level.  These highly carcinogenic germs can even survive under a high temperature of 280 degree Celsius. To “bury” these germs from the consumers’ eyes, the immoral dealers have “reprocessed” and “bleached” the OLD rice into NEW rice with industrial oil looking substances. Now, the rice will appear crystallized shinny to naked eyes and are sold as FRESH RICE. When consumed in small volume, they’ll cause dizziness, diarrhea, but excessive consumption will lead to cancer. In fact, most of the rice has been contaminated with chemical residues, which will definitely trigger our health problem.

Soybeans

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Soybeans have long been a controversial debate as they’re one of the genetically modified foods. As like maize, 85% of herbicides are used to spray soybeans. Carbendazim, diazinon, methyl parathion, paraquat, aldicarb, carbaryl, cypermethrin, deltametrin and endosulfan are some of the chemical substances found in soybeans. Soybeans can bring us to a worrying state as about 75% of our processed foods (such as tofu, bean curb) are made from soybeans.

Strawberries

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During the growth process of strawberries, growth hormones are used extensively to shorten the shelf life by putting their physiology (such as metabolism and growth) on fast-forward. Though this ripening process may make strawberries appearing fresher, longer lasting but they’re tasteless. Strawberries with these hormone added generally appear larger in size, irregular shape and in their middle, you’ll find a hollow. There was a report saying that a 3-year-old child who consumed too much of those strawberries has larger bulging breasts even before her puberty age.

Tomatoes

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Tomatoes are the first crops to be genetically modified. They’re contaminated with chemicals of zineb, gamma-HCH, endosulfan, cypermethrin, aldicarb, azinphos methyl, captan, carbendazim and dimethoate. There were approximately 11,000 cases of serious poisoning being reported in 1993.

Vegetables

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You might not know that pesticides are being used at many stages of vegetables, from their growth, post-harvesting, harvesting, storage until shipment period. I’ve told that pesticides are used to kill pests in the growing period of vegetables, and even pesticides are used on seeds to help reduce the attack of pests or bugs. After harvesting, certain amounts of pesticides are applied on vegetables to make them appearing fresh in the wholesaler’s/ supermarket’s shelf. Specifically, most out-of-season vegetables may have pesticides added for the purpose to preserve the freshness of vegetables so that they’re not easily be attacked by fungus, or insects. Both lettuce and kale were found to have contained gamma-HCH, dimethoate, deltametrin, carbendazim, zineb and cypermethrin. In 1988, about 41 imported kale plants have been tested positive with 85% pesticide residues. Carrots, unexpectedly, were found to have clocked up with residues that were many times over the “toxicologically acceptable limits” of acutely toxic organophosphates.  

Watermelons

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The overuse of ripening agents, growth hormones, dye has turned the skin of the watermelon highly toxic to be consumed. These watermelons have been tested with Toxicity Index (TI) over 10 scores. This type of watermelon is easily to identify as it has uneven stripes on its skin. When cut off, its fresh appears to be a “striking” color, its seeds are white in color and it’s even smelly for you to swallow down your throat. The farmers themselves won’t eat this type of watermelon, even though they plant them for commercial purpose. They know better the harmful effect from this watermelon. Some immoral wholesalers even inject tap water into the watermelons to increase the weight, or inject the red-colored tap water into the watermelons to make them appearing fresh to the consumers, so that they can gain more profits.

Author’s opinion

While most of our fruits and vegetables are tested positive with more than one pesticide or chemical residues, I don’t encourage you to eat less vegetables or fruits. Try to wash your vegetables and fruits thoroughly. Remember to peel off the skin of the fruits and vegetables where possible, particularly apples, pears and peaches which are seriously contaminated with pesticides. This action does help reduce a direct consumption of pesticides. As for kale or cabbage, try to peel the first few pieces of leaves as this’ll help to reduce the chemical exposure and minimize the risk from these foods, even though the residues may not be completely eliminated.

If possibly, try to grow or buy organically grown fruits and vegetables, in particular green beans, winter squash, cherries, oranges, spinach, kale, peaches, grapes and etc. Foods that are grown or processed organically do not use any synthetic fertiliser, fungicides, pesticides or insecticides, even though some of them may be treated with natural pesticides. You should always make sure that they’re genuine and certified as ORGANIC. The best option is to look for foods that have the USDA certified organic label.

Not everyone here can afford to buy organic foods. To reduce the toxicity being added to your stomach, make your effort to select those foods with low scores of Toxicity Index, or select those are contaminated with fewer amounts of chemical residues. It’s important for you to avoid consuming out-of-season foods (alternatively, choose seasonal fruits and vegetables that contain either little or no pesticide residues), or imported foods. Also, don’t consume foods that come along with synthetic pesticides. You may also use veggie wash to remove as much chemical residues as possible.

As for meat and dairy products, it’s better to select those with less fat, because pesticides or any chemical substances tend to accumulate in animal’s fat. Therefore, it’s wiser to purchase low-fat milk, or dairy products. Make sure you remove the fats (for example chicken’s skin) from cuts of meat before cooking them. Nevertheless, for the sake of your health, you should eat less meat as it contains synthetic hormones and other chemical substances which can harm your health in a long run.

If you’ve time, try to visit a local farm or framer’s market to understand how the farmers manage the pest, how often the crops are being sprayed with pesticides, how much pesticides are used to treat the crops, which crops are treated with more pesticides and etc. Certain farms are not organic as claimed, but they just don’t use pesticides to treat their crops. Bear in mind that the real meaning of organic foods include foods that have no plant growth hormones, no herbicides, no artificial/ synthetic pesticides, no insecticides, no genetically modified organisms (GMO) or any chemical substances in any forms, but organic farming must use biological control in pest management, environmentally friendly approach, composting from natural foods leftovers, and natural biological strategy to promote natural ecosystem. The farm must also be located far away from heavily-polluted areas (such as industrial area, development area, theme parks, and residential areas). You can find the answer by simply observing the surrounding of the farms, witnessing yourself what the farmers do and by asking them. Find a farmer to grow for you or those uses minimal pesticides/ fungicides/ insecticides or any chemical substances. However, I’d suggest you to plant fruits or vegetables by your own whenever the condition is available (such as growing your sprouts in the kitchen, planting some vegetables or fruits tree either in your pot or backyard). This is also a brilliant way to cut cost, but most importantly, they’re nutritious besides free from any chemical residues.

Final remark:

Information contained in this article is aimed to create awareness on food safety. Start today by choosing organic foods and you’ll help to save our planet from being polluted.

Now, you can gain more health knowledge by visiting my health blog entitled HealthAssist. More upcoming updates and latest health information are right on the way!