8.3 - Pesticides


Last night I ate Chicken and Vegetable Pho from Mint Leaf. Their website does not specify use of organic or grass-fed meats. They just mention that they use fresh and local vegetables. 
The vegetables in the pho was onions, broccoli, basil, sprouts, cilantro and bok choy and a slice of lime. Then there was chicken pieces. I was only able to identify pesticides from the ingredients in BOLD. 
Brocolli:
Cilantro:
 
The amount of pesticide residues scares me. It makes me feel like I need to be even more mindful of my produce. 33 is a large number of pesticides but 68 is outrageous. I can understand how broccoli may have a high number of pesticides. Its structure is porous and probably traps in a number of toxic exposures. Cilantro scares me because it is used in a lot of foods, fresh or prepared. 
I think it is important to note the produce with the highest amounts of pesticides. This is why they created the "dirty dozen" list, for consumers to be aware of when buying produce that has a high risk of contaminants. 
Here is the food safety magazines list for 2018:
Topping the list of foods with the most pesticide residues, the Dirty Dozen for 2018 are:
  1. Strawberries
  2. Spinach
  3. Nectarines
  4. Apples
  5. Grapes
  6. Peaches
  7. Cherries
  8. Pears
  9. Tomatoes
  10. Celery
  11. Potatoes
  12. Sweet bell peppers

Comments

  1. Ayla EvinsOctober 21, 2018 at 1:07 PM

    I agree, it is a bit scary to think about the number of pesticides we might be consuming every day. I used to think that I didn't really need to buy organic, that as long as I was washing my produce really well I would be ok. But I never really thought about the pesticides being inside the produce. After learning about pesticides, I now purchase as much of my produce from the organic section as I can! But overall I think we need better agricultural practices so that none of us are exposed to these harmful chemicals.

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  2. Terrianne GOctober 22, 2018 at 10:02 AM

    Reading this list makes you not want to dine out - you never know what other restaurants claim their foods are served as, and if they truly stick to that belief of eating. For example, pho is such a delicious broth, but a lot of restaurants put additional msg / powder flavorings to enhance the flavor . It's the same as putting pesticides in fruits /vegetables ! I have learned through this course so far, to eat as clean as possible or minimize the error of contaminated foods but the lifestyle is so difficult to adapt if you are routine to normally cooking and don't have time working against you all the time!

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