New information about pesticides

[Sharon in Colorado]

When I heard Bill the 15 year raw fooder speak, I learned something new about pesticides.

He said that pesticides in the US are made to break down 2-3 weeks after they are used, so the conventional produce we eat grown on our soil is safe to use.

He also said that he never gets conventional produce from Mexico because they don't use the same kinds of pesticides we do, as they don't have as strict regulations.

Then he said that if we were to get some pesticides in our systems, our bodies are so wonderfully made that they will deal with them, because we aren't clogging them up with cooked foods, so they are able to deal with the toxins we *do* get that we don't have as much control over, such as water, air, indoor pollution etc.

Has anyone heard about this re the pesticides? I think this information is very interesting.

[calee]

Hi Sharon,

I haven't heard this but it was an interesting read. I'd be interested in learning more. I'm in the process of switching to more and more organic. My farmer's market has a lot of organic produce but it tends to be so much more expensive than other produce. We do have vendors with things like oranges that don't have any pesticides used on them. I'm willing to eat those as I believe they're telling the truth.

thanks for sharing the info

[sweetgoddess]

"so the conventional produce we eat grown on our soil is safe to use."

There is no possible way I could believe this for myself Sharon. What does safe mean? That it wont catch up with me today? lol
It just doesnt ring true for me, because I can't conceive that spraying or dusting a living, porous thing with chemical, toxic pesticides doesnt, on some level, alter it. And when I put it in my body I am going to deal with some effect regardless of pesticide breakdown time.

"our bodies are so wonderfully made that they will deal with them, because we aren't clogging them up with cooked foods, so they are able to deal with the toxins we *do* get that we don't have as much control over, such as water, air, indoor pollution etc"

This does ring true for me. I do believe our bodies can better deal with the toxins we cannot avoid because of our raw diets. It is cleaner and far more efficient, and has less to deal with.
That being said though, why not avoid the ones we can! :)

[kmik]

I've not heard more about this, but to me it means Don't freak as much if I have to eat conventionally grown produce.

But don't forget the nutritional differences between organic and conventional. Conventional is almost like eating an empty container IMO. Organic has been shown to have much higher nutritional content, and in many cases, certain vital nutrients for raw foodists (like Cobalt - B12) not being present at all in conventionally grown produce.

[Sharon in Colorado]

That being said though, why not avoid the ones we can! :)

Because they aren't always affordable maybe?

I don't know how accurate the info is either, but this is from a man with 4 children who've NEVER EVER had a sick day in their lives.

Only once, when they were in a hot room full of relatives all day long, with many that were sick, their temparatures had elevated slightly, they didn't understand what was going on, and he had to teach them how to blow their noses, but then the next day they were fine again.

Information like this helps me a lot. If I have to buy something conventional, I won't fret too much over it.

[sweetgoddess]

OH, I fully understand your point Sharon. I know organic is not always affordable and completely agree that nobody should freak about toxins they cant avoid. It is impossible to not ingest any toxins!

I dont buy all organic, and I dont fret over it. I am a firm believer in doing the best with where you are!

I just felt apprehensive that someone would claim that pesticides magically vanish after 2 weeks leaving no change or consequence in their paths. :confused:

[spockafina]

I'm sorry to bring up such an old thread, but I'm writing a paper on pesticide/herbicide use for my Chemistry class and thought I'd search through this forum for any additional info.
Most of my information is from peer-reviewed academic journals.

Anyways, yes, most pesticides are made to break down and go into the soil. However, the pesticides go through the soil into ground water, contaminating drinking water and all of the species living in the water. In most cases, it screws up the biodiversity in ponds and lakes, causing an over-growth of algae that suffocates and kills the species living in them.
And some pesticides blow off the plants into the air, and the more toxic ones used commonly in large farms have chemicals that deplete the ozone.

No, Mexico doesn't have very strict regulations, but the US doesn't either. There are many pesticides and herbicides that are banned in Canada and other developed countries in Europe because of their effects that are legal in America. California has the strictest regulations on pesticides, yet they still use pesticides that have been shown to cause non-hodgkins lymphoma and breast cancer.

[ljannise]

Could I please have the name of the 15 year raw foodie??

I'd like to read his stuff.

[Ginger]

Seems to me if the pesticides are made to break down & go into the soil, & the plants get their food & water from the soil, the plants would also be ingesting the chemicals as well...