By now, you probably know you should be choosing organic foods whenever possible. They’re supposed to be better for you for some reason…. right?
But organic usually costs more. And your local grocery store doesn’t always have all the organic options. Which makes you wonder, “Is organic REALLY worth it?”
You’re not alone. Many folks have the same question.
And a whole lot of them (perhaps even you) decide just to grab the conventionally grown apples or potatoes and call it a day.
But let me assure it the answer is a resounding, “Yes!” Organic foods ARE worth every single extra penny you pay for them.
As I’ve explained before several studies have found organic foods are often higher in valuable vitamins and minerals. But a better nutritional profile is only part of the picture.
Organic foods reduce your exposure to pesticides
There’s’ an even more important reason you should choose organic fruits and veggies whenever you can. And it has to do with how they’re grown.
And that, of course, is WITHOUT pesticides.
Because the truth is whenever you eat conventional produce, you could be exposing yourself to these dangerous chemicals.
Our use of pesticides has skyrocketed in the past 50 years. There are over 18,000 of them licensed for use here in the United States. And conventional factory farms dump two billion pounds of pesticides on our crops every year.
Slowly, over time, those pesticides could be making you sick. They could even be putting you at risk for deadly diseases.
Alzheimer’s disease linked to pesticides
Pesticides may have lasting effects on our central nervous system. And there’s growing evidence of a connection between these chemicals and Alzheimer’s disease.
You see, proper brain function relies on your getting just the right amount of a chemical called acetylcholine. Get too little, and the synapses don’t fire. Get too much, and you end up with a logjam.
But pesticides can interfere with the way our brains release acetylcholine. And lifelong exposure to these chemicals could have lasting effects which contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s.
And a large meta-analysis, published in the journal Scientific Reports, confirmed the connection. Researchers found overwhelming evidence that pesticides could increase our risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
SLASH cancer risk up to 76%
Still need a little more convincing?
Pesticides have been linked to many different kinds of cancer including…
- lung cancer
- breast cancer
- pancreatic cancer
- brain cancer
- non-Hodgkins lymphoma
- leukemia
- prostate cancer
- stomach cancer
- kidney cancer
But choosing organic foods over pesticide-laced conventional ones could slash your cancer risk too.
In a long-term population study, French researchers found that folks who ate the most organic foods had a 25 percent lower cancer risk across the board.
Breast cancer risk was 34 percent lower in the ladies who filled their plates with organic foods. And organic fans had a stunning 76 percent lower risk of lymphoma.
Type 2 diabetes risk skyrockets by 60%
Everyone knows a diet filled with lots of fresh veggies should help reduce your diabetes risk. But it turns out if you’re not choosing organic foods pesticides could be sabotaging your best efforts.
One particular family of pesticides, organophosphates, could be causing a lot of the trouble. These creepy chemicals are associated with obesity, which of course often goes hand in hand with type 2 diabetes.
But they’re not the only bad guys. In another study, researchers found exposure to a variety of different pesticides could increase your risk of developing diabetes. And the connection showed up even in folks who had no family history of the disease.
And in a large meta-review when researchers took a deeper dive into the data from 21 studies they confirmed it. Pesticides could send your risk of type 2 diabetes skyrocketing by more than 60 percent.
Stunning 250% increase in Parkinson’s risk rises
We’ve suspected for a long time now that contact with a bunch of pesticides might increase your risk for Parkinson’s disease. Which means that folks who work in pesticide factories or on farms which spray these chemicals on crops are likely at a much higher risk than the rest of us
But now, new research is pointing to low-level exposure as a major risk factor too.
For example, a Canadian study found low-level exposure to paraquat and maneb… two pesticides commonly used in conventional agriculture… could increase your risk of developing Parkinson’s by a stunning 250 percent.
And an Australian study found a significant link between pesticides and Parkinson’s in folks with a family history of the disease.
Listen, I get it. Buying organic foods IS more expensive. But when you consider the TRUE cost of that pesticide-laced produce you’re buying… your health and maybe even your LIFE… that extra expense is more than worth it.
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