Proper Washing of Fruits & Vegetables is Imperative…Organic or Not Part 1 of 2 – Your Health Detective

This Weeks Focus on Health…

Produce is the culprit for most food-borne illnesses;
48 million people in the U.S. are victims of illnesses caused by food-borne bacteria;
Contamination occurs in all phases of farming, production, preparation and storage of our food, especially produce.

Key Points…

The more steps the food goes through before you purchase, the more risk for contamination; buying locally grown produce is your best health value;
Washing produce with plain tap water will remove grime and dirt but not bacteria or pesticides;
When you get your produce from small farmers in natural settings using clean water, as opposed to massive agribusiness conglomerates that use sewage sludge as fertilizer, there is very little risk of eating these foods raw. The same goes for meat, eggs, and raw dairy products.

Historical Perspective…

An important aspect of the global food system to be mindful of – including your home garden – is the use of fertilizers. Fertilizers increase yield and help guarantee a plentiful harvest. But there’s also a dark side to fertilizers – one you may not be aware of.

A while back, the EPA decided that a good way to dispose of unwanted, treated sewage sludge from municipal wastewater treatment facilities was to legally distribute it to farmers and anyone else desiring cheap “fertilizer” or “compost”.

As a result, farms and homes across the country unknowingly spread this sludge-derived fertilizer – often given away for free – on their fields, lawns and gardens. The Problem…it’s been found to be loaded with chemicals and heavy metals.

The Environmental Working Group analyzed samples of this sewage sludge used as fertilizer and found:

Over 100 synthetic organic compounds including phthalates, toluene, and chlorobenzene.
Dioxins in sludge from 80 percent or 179 out of 208 systems.
Forty-two different pesticides.
Nine heavy metals, often at high concentrations.

BEWARE…
“For vegetables and other foods that are eaten raw, the best way to prevent outbreaks … is through cleaner farming practices … When the water used to irrigate the food crops is drawn from wells that are near livestock, fecal bacteria can spread through the water to the food.” – Life Science, May 12, 2010

There are still safe food options out there, but it does take a bit of digging to find them. Your local grocery store is generally NOT going to be the best source for healthy, fresh food.

So, short of starting your own sustainable farm (which you can do on a small-scale in your own backyard), you can find safe food options by supporting sustainable agriculture movements in your area.

Make it a point to only buy food from a source you know and trust, one that uses safe and non-toxic farming methods. This will do your health a major favor and support the small family farms in your area. You’ll receive nutritious food from a source that you can trust, and you’ll be supporting the honest work of a real family farm instead of an agri-business corporation.

Health thru Education^©

Additionally, knowledge truly is power, and the more people become informed, the faster it will prompt real change. Several wonderful movies that will give you an excellent overview of the problems with modern agriculture, which I highly recommend you watch and share with your friends and family, are:

The Dirty Dozen

In the box below, you’ll find the top twelve non-organic vegetables and fruits with the highest number of pesticide residues, known as the “Dirty Dozen” – the list is updated from year to year and you can find it on the website for the Environmental Working Group at: www.ewg.org.

Cleansing with an effective, suitable fruit and vegetable cleaner can certainly help eliminate surface toxic chemical residues, but it’s still best to buy especially these twelve fruits and vegetables organic whenever possible.

The Dirty Dozen Vegetables & Fruits
Food	# of Different Pesticides
Celery	64
Peaches	62
Strawberries	59
Blueberries	52
Leafy Greens	51
Bell Peppers	49
Spinach	48
Apples	42
Cherries	42
Potatoes	37
Grapes	34
Nectarines	33

Homemade, Effective Vegetable Wash

Quiz: What is an all natural effective Anti-viral, Anti-bacterial, Anti-fungal substance that is also effective for Anthrax decontamination and effective used as a vegetable wash? The following will shed light on the above question.

Your body makes hydrogen peroxide to fight infection, which must be present for our immune system to function correctly. White blood cells are known as Leukocytes. A sub-class of Leukocytes, called Neutrophils, produce hydrogen peroxide as the first line of defense against toxins, parasites, bacteria, viruses and yeast. Simply put, it is responsible for the oxygenation of the body. Keep in mind that health-depleting microorganisms and tumors are generally oxygen-hating growths that thrive in oxygen-poor bodies.

Yes, a simple bottle of over-the-counter 3% hydrogen peroxide is an effective soak and wash bath for your produce as it kills bacteria and neutralizes chemicals. It is generally less than $1.00 per bottle and has way too many other benefits to mention here. However, my next blog will list all the benefits of hydrogen peroxide – nature’s disinfectant.

You can use a simple, safe disinfecting solution and spray that is much more effective than any of the commercial cleaners in killing bacteria…and it’s inexpensive.

The Recipe

Produce/Vegetable Wash

Simply add equal parts of white distilled vinegar and 3% hydrogen peroxide (usually 3 capfuls of each that come with the product) and use as a vegetable wash in your sink – soak vegetables 15 minutes then rinse thoroughly.

Disinfectant Spray

When using the two ingredients in a spray, it doesn’t matter which one you use first but don’t mix them in order to maximize their effectiveness. In tests performed at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, combining the 2 mists eliminated virtually all Salmonella, E. coli bacteria or Shigella on heavily contaminated foods and surfaces when used in this manner, making this spray combination more effective at destroying these potentially deadly bacteria than any commercially available kitchen cleaner or chlorine bleach.

The combination is effective, non-toxic and does not leave a lingering taste. Additionally, the combination spray does an exceptional job at sanitizing counters and other food preparation surfaces such as cutting boards.

In one study the best results were obtained when one used one spray right after the other – this method was several times more effective than using either mist by itself and more effective than mixing both liquids in one spray bottle.

In my next Investigative Report I’ll cover the diseases brought on by pesticides…stay tuned…

The Way I See It…

Why would you risk compromising your health and that of your family with produce that has been sprayed, handled and abused before it ever reaches your kitchen? I have patients that eat a strawberry or cherry and soon after have G.I. distress, headaches and or welts, redness and itching. They do not have true food allergies to these foods so the suspect is contamination of the food by either bacteria and or chemicals.

I consult daily with patients around the world, most of whom I’ve never met that seek my counsel for allergies, chemically-induced immune system disorders and inflammation that have been mis-diagnosed, over-medicated and no one has worked with them to find the cause (s). If you’re a victim of a health condition and conventional medical practices have not helped you, or have made you worse as a result of drug side-effects, visit my website at www.gloriagilbere.com for complete information about consulting with me via telephone (I even pay for the call worldwide), at the Institute for Wholistic Rejuvenation in Sandpoint, Idaho, or at the comprehensive integrative medical clinic for Wholistic Rejuvenation in Gig Harbor, Washington.

Your Health Detective:

Uncovering Clues to Add LIFE to Your Years…NOT Merely Years to Your Life, Naturally

Dr. Gloria Gilbère (aka Dr. G) DA Hom., PhD., DSC., EcoErgonomist,

Wholistic Rejuvenist, Medical Journalist, Best-selling Author and Health Detective.

Dr. Gilbère is renowned worldwide for her work in nutrition-based medicine and identifying and finding natural solutions to chemically-induced and inflammatory disorders, multiple chemical sensitivities, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, Gulf War Syndrome, and digestive disorders that defy conventional diagnosis and treatment.

She consults worldwide via telephone, at the Institute for Wholistic Rejuvenation in Sandpoint, Idaho and the new fully integrative medical Clinic for Wholistic Rejuvenation in Gig Harbor, Washington. Visit her website at www.gloriagilbere.com for details about consulting with her at either location or by phone. To schedule a consultation or for more information, call (208) 255-5252 (Mon. – Thurs. 8: to 2: Pacific Time). She is the acclaimed talk-show host of “Dr. Gloria – Health Detective”, and author of 11 books, 6 courses and over 1,400 health articles.

She created certificated courses and post-graduate education for health and spa professionals to become a Wholistic Rejuvenist™ (CWR). Go to www.gloriagilbere.com and click on Wholistic Skin & Body Rejuvenation (WSBR™) for course outline. Available on-site at worldwide locations, and via distance-learning at your convenience globally.

Life Science, May 12, 2010

Organic Consumers Association, December 19, 2008

Science News August 8, 1998; Vol. 154, Issue. 6; pg. 83-85

Information in this newsletter is not meant to substitute for the advice provided by medical professionals, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent a disease or disorder. The FDA has not reviewed or endorsed the contents of this educational publication.

Copyright is held by Gloria E. Gilbère, to which all rights are reserved. Other than personal, non-commercial use or forwarding, no material in this newsletter may be copied, distributed, or published without the expressed written permission of its author and copyright holder.