Archive for June, 2009
Produce on grocery store shelves may look good, but there’s a dirty secret behind it. Most of it has been grown using chemical fertilizers. The earth in which it has grown has been treated with herbicides, fungicides and pesticides, too. It has also been genetically engineered to resist treatment with weed killers like “Round-Up” . What you’re getting in the store is loaded with potential toxins. This food has traveled an average of 1500 miles to get to your plate and has probably - without your knowledge - been irradiated: treated with low levels of radiation to kill off bugs and prolong storage.
The food at your local farmer’s market is a lot different. Raised in soils amended without chemicals, the food is healthier from the get go. Studies have shown that the nutritional value of food has actually declined in the last 50 years due to poor soil management. Farms have for the most part abandoned the age-old practice of crop rotation, thus stressing out the soil and depleting nutrients.
If your buy meat from your local farmer’s market, most vendors do not treat their animals with steroids or antibiotics. Do you really want to eat steroids (growth hormones) or expose your kids to more antibiotics?
Check out this link for farmer’s markets near you: LocalHarvest.org
Another plus is that your money is staying in the community. You are also helping your local farmer stay in business, rather than sell his/her land to a mega farm or to a developer. We DON’T need more shopping malls!
You can further reduce your toxin load by taking a regular detox bath. This assists your body in fighting off illness and enhances the removal of toxins. Be clean - inside and out!