Ontario to join Quebec on pesticide ban.
A recent study in the journal BioMedCentral (BMC) Neurology states that insecticides and herbicides significantly increase the risk of Parkinson's, especially in families with no history of the disease. These studies are interesting as far as finding contributing factors to disease development, but as far as health is concerned, I don't think we need studies to tell us that these chemicals are bad for us. Now of course your lawns and gardens may not look as pretty and you will have to do a lot more manual labour to pull out all the weeds, but the extra gardening will help you stay active and prevent further contamination of the earth and our water supplies.
As a side note to those of you who love to golf: golf courses are one of the most actively sprayed places, so strictly from a health perspective, one has to balance the relaxation and health benefits of going golfing w/ the toxins you may be inhaling.
Happy Earth Day everyone!
Plastics - the DOs & DON'Ts. Health Canada's Ban on Bisphenol A
Bisphenol A is an endocrine disruptor, meaning that it can mimic or wreak havoc on the hormones in your body. Bpa is linked to breast & prostate cancer, obesity, early puberty attention deficit disorder and a host of other developmental problems.
The general rule of thumb for plastics is that it should not be heated or come in contact with hot foods or drinks. That includes leaving your water bottle in the car during the hot summer months.
Have you ever bought bottled water and stored it away from the sun and heat sources? I have and in a few months time, this water had an odd taste to it. I assumed that something was leeching out of the plastic into the water. I'd be curious to know if any tests/studies have been done on this?
Some plastics don't contain BPA and are considered microwave/dishwasher safe, but this naturopath's opinion is that nothing should be microwaved in plastic. Stick with glass!
There are times when glass isn't as convenient to carry like when you're hiking on a trail so you can use stainless steel water bottles which I've seen at Walmart & Mountain Equipment Co-op.
If you have trouble finding glass baby bottles, here's a Canadian web company to help you out: http://www.justbabybottles.com
Even One Drink a Day Increases your Risk of Breast Cancer
Heart disease has been a leading cause of death in the North American population and for the last decade or so, we've heard about the benefits that alcohol provides. Health professionals have been advocating drinking a glass or two or red wine for its heart healthy properties. Numerous studies have shown that alcohol itself benefits the cardiovascular system in moderate amounts. What has been lost in this information is that alcohol consumption affects cancer risks and heart disease risks in an inverse relationship - that is, moderate drinking lowers the incidence of heart disease, but increases the risk on developing cancer.
The latest research from the U.S National Cancer Institute shows that even moderate drinking increases the risk of a woman developing breast cancer.
The study found that the respondents who consumed:
- Less than one drink a day had a seven per cent increase in relative risk.
- One to two drinks a day had a 32 per cent increase.
- Three or more drinks a day had a 51 per cent increase.
South Asians at an Increased Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases
Studies have shown people native to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka can die from heart disease five to 10 years earlier than those from other ethnic groups.
Atherosclerosis in S. Asians is unlike the classical picture. It is diffuse in nature and doesn't just occur at the top of the arteries which is what is normally seen in other ethnic groups.
Reasons why:
- South Asians may have smaller than avg blood vessels in the heart. Therefore fat deposited on the blood vessel walls will shrink the available space for blood to flow.
- Abnormality in glucose and insulin signalling is seen much earlier in life in this segment of the population.
Pesticides and the foods you should eat organically.
1) The dirty dozen
The Dirty Dozen | Score* | % with pesticides | % with 2 or more pesticides |
Peaches | 100 | 96.6 | 86.6 |
Apples | 96 | 93.6 | 82.3 |
Sweet bell peppers | 86 | 81.5 | 62.2 |
Celery | 85 | 94.1 | 79.8 |
Nectarines | 84 | 97.3 | 85.3 |
Strawberries | 83 | 92.3 | 69.2 |
Cherries | 75 | 91.4 | 75.8 |
Lettuce | 69 | 68.2 | 44.2 |
Grapes (imported) | 68 | 84.2 | 53.2 |
Pears | 65 | 86.2 | 45.7 |
Spinach | 60 | 70 | 31.2 |
Potatoes | 58 | 81 | 18 |
2) The consistently clean
The Consistently Clean | Score* | % with pesticides | % with 2 or more pesticides |
Onions | 1 | 0.2 | 0 |
Avocado | 1 | 1.4 | 0 |
Sweet corn (frozen) | 2 | 3.8 | 0 |
Pineapples | 7 | 7.7 | 0.6 |
Mango | 9 | 7.1 | 0.5 |
Sweet peas (frozen) | 11 | 22.9 | 2.3 |
Asparagus | 11 | 6.7 | 0.6 |
Kiwi | 14 | 15.3 | 3.4 |
Bananas | 16 | 41.7 | 2.0 |
Cabbage | 17 | 17.9 | 4.8 |
Broccoli | 18 | 28.1 | 3.2 |
Egglpant | 19 | 23.4 | 6.9 |
3) Here is the full list in order from worst to best:
RANK | FRUIT OR VEGGIE | SCORE |
1 (worst) | Peaches | 100 (highest pesticide load) |
2 | Apples | 96 |
3 | Sweet Bell Peppers | 86 |
4 | Celery | 85 |
5 | Nectarines | 84 |
6 | Strawberries | 83 |
7 | Cherries | 75 |
8 | Lettuce | 69 |
9 | Grapes - Imported | 68 |
10 | Pears | 65 |
11 | Spinach | 60 |
12 | Potatoes | 58 |
13 | Carrots | 57 |
14 | Green Beans | 55 |
15 | Hot Peppers | 53 |
16 | Cucumbers | 52 |
17 | Raspberries | 47 |
18 | Plums | 46 |
19 | Oranges | 46 |
20 | Grapes-Domestic | 46 |
21 | Cauliflower | 39 |
22 | Tangerine | 38 |
23 | Mushrooms | 37 |
24 | Cantaloupe | 34 |
25 | Lemon | 31 |
26 | Honeydew Melon | 31 |
27 | Grapefruit | 31 |
28 | Winter Squash | 31 |
29 | Tomatoes | 30 |
30 | Sweet Potatoes | 30 |
31 | Watermelon | 25 |
32 | Blueberries | 24 |
33 | Papaya | 21 |
34 | Eggplant | 19 |
35 | Broccoli | 18 |
36 | Cabbage | 17 |
37 | Bananas | 16 |
38 | Kiwi | 14 |
39 | Asparagus | 11 |
40 | Sweet Peas-Frozen | 11 |
41 | Mango | 9 |
42 | Pineapples | 7 |
43 | Sweet Corn-Frozen | 2 |
44 | Avocado | 1 |
45 (best) | Onions | 1 (lowest pesticide load) |
4) Video clip:
http://www.ewg.org/node/22100