Lupus and Organic Foods – Eatin’ on the Natch
Autoimmune diseases like lupus are hypersensitive to foodborne chemicals and they can aggravate our symptoms bigtime. Organically grown foods lessen the burden on our bodies and allow us to absorb nutrients with less interference. Clean organic foods taste better, too.
EWG’s Food News explains
Why reducing pesticide exposure is smart and their
Handy Wallet Guide to Pesticides in Produce lists which foods are most tainted and which are cleanest.
Organically grown foods needn't be buggy – our peas shouldn't be crawling off the plate. All vegetables and fruit, organic or not, should be washed because fields and orchards are dirty. Pesticides and other toxins are used to combat bugs and birds. Fields and irrigation water may be contaminated with industrial toxins, urine and fecal waste.
Some in the food service industry say, for healthy people,
rinsing all fruits and vegetable over and over with plain cold water without soap is enough to remove most toxins. It may be wiser for those of us with AI illnesses to use 2 or 3 drops of anti-bacterial soap per gallon of water and rinse with 1 cup of white vinegar per gallon of water.
Soft skinned fruits and vegetables can be scrubbed with clean paper towels, and tougher skins with a cloth or a soft brush. First, remove all outer leaves and any browned, blackened or damaged sections. Fruits should be scrubbed before being peeled.
Dr. Andrew Weil answers the question,
Do you really need to wash store-bought lettuce or salad greens? and mentions salad bars, too. It’s always healthy to clean up, before we chow down.