Controlling Food Pollutants Helps ADD
Food gives life and can also provide comfort and zest to life. Of course, it would be wonderful if everybody could eat nothing but organic foods. However, there are foods that it is important to buy the organic version. There are others where it doesn’t make much difference. The lists below are not all of the foods that should be eaten as organic food, but they are ones that many experts agree on.
There are animal-based foods that need to be organic. Beef contains hormones and antibiotics. Especially fatty meats, where the offending pollutants are stored in the fat, are best to buy in their organic form. Milk has hormones and also pesticides. These pesticides that are in the food come from polluted feed or grass. Water based animals can also be polluted. Buy wild caught fish from trusted areas. Don’t buy farmed fish, since pollution has been reported as part of fish farming.
Many plant-based foods should be purchased in their organic form. Strawberries are hard to wash free of pesticides, as are raspberries and blackberries. Spinach leaves have pesticides that are hard to wash off and can cross into the flesh of the leaf. The same is true for many leafy vegetables, including green onions, lettuce, kale, and collard greens. Celery has pesticides that are taken into the flesh of the stalks. Bell peppers may contain up to 50 pesticides. Hot peppers are not immune from this!
Anything that is eaten with a peel, like cucumbers, summer squash, zucchini, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, imported nectarines, apples, pears, peaches, grapes, raisins, blueberries, and cherries can come with a toxic cocktail of pesticides. It is best to buy organic. If a fruit or vegetable has a thick skin that you don’t eat, avocados come to mind, you do not need to buy organic. Pineapples and papaya are fine to buy the non-organic variety.
Food storage is important when it comes to keeping food clean. It is best to store food in glass, if possible. When you are using plastic, make sure that there is no bisphenol A (BPA) in it. BPA can cause hormone disruption. Never heat food in plastic or drink from a water bottle that has been left in a hot car. Many vegetables are sold in cans that have a lining. Especially in acidic vegetables, BPA in the lining can leach into the food. One CDC study found BPA in 92% of the people that they tested.
Some children with Attention Deficit Disorder are affected by pollutants. For years, parents have reported increased hyperactivity and inattention, when their children eat certain foods. Now, there is research that validates the parents’ anecdotal findings. Let’s give our kids the best chance for success. Feed them clean and healthful foods.