Why we need to avoid foods doused with fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides?
The skyrocketing stats of chronic disease and morbidity causes us to rethink the way we are growing our food. Climate change is big on the agenda, but is there not also an epidemic of chemical warfare against the very food you eat? Why should you care? It is because we may be interfering with the lives of human beings in our zeal for scientific advancement. Furthermore, the production of fertilizers may also contribute towards CO2 emissions and fertilizer use is a major contributor to non-CO2 greenhouse emissions. In this section we will discuss the science behind this dilemma that we are facing in this present time.
Why Organic?
There is a growing consensus that organic food has a higher content of phytonutrients when compared to foods grown with substances like cadmium, synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers.
Crop Desiccation—what does this entail?
This is the process of applying a synthetic agent to crops to facilitate drying of the harvest. In nonorganic farming this is done by the means of herbicides.
The process chemically terminates further growth in order to tackle other problems with the harvest.
Glyphosate (Roundup) is used as the desiccating agent in crops like wheat, oats, lentils, peas, soybeans, corn, flax, rye, millet, potatoes, etc. This is done 1-2 weeks prior to harvest. This question arises—how much of this glyphosate residue are we eating?
Why is there an Epidemic of Gluten Intolerance?
Canada alone has the highest incidence of digestive disease in the world.
Gastrointestinal pathophysiological conditions account for 154 billion of the annual healthcare costs incurred in North America alone.
The herbicide glyphosate is sprayed just before harvest to encourage and speed up ripening—therefore, this leads to higher residues of this glyphosate (or Roundup) in the commercial wheat harvest.
The question is, what effect does glyphosate have on our bodies and digestive tracts?
Dysbiosis—Disharmony in our Digestive Tract
Our digestive tracts in particular have a rich population of microorganisms that are fundamental to our health and immune function. They are collectively referred to as the microbiome.
These organisms are commensals, and they are easily disrupted by chemical agents like pesticides, herbicides, and antibiotics, etc.
Disease causing microbes, however, are more resistant to these agents. In conclusion, the Glyphosate and other synthetic agents may be interfering with the Shikimate pathway of microorganisms and plants and could be potentially impacting the health of our digestive tract, creating dysbiosis.
This is why further research on the safety of these agents must be strongly considered to ensure that no harm in done to the consumers of these treated crops.
Role of Synthetic Agents on Fetal Health
Another concerning factor is the possible association between the maternal exposure to herbicides like glyphosate and the increased risk for autism spectrum disorder in the offspring.
Chemicals like selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs), pesticides, phthalates, pollutants, polychlorinated biphenyls, solvents, and heavy metals may have also been implicated.
To put things into perspective, there has been a positive correlation between the rise of glyphosate usage on corn, soybeans from 1995 to 2010, and an increase in ASD (Autism spectrum disease) rates over the same period as reported by the public school system.
Occupational Exposure in Agricultural Workers
After reviewing all these details, there is a lot of concern on how this affects the agricultural workers who work in these fields as part of their livelihood.
There is literature that may possibly suggest an increased risk of cancer, respiratory, and neurological diseases among workers exposed to these agents.
Having reviewed all these scenarios, we have to seriously re-think how we grow our food and the far-reaching effects of chemical agents on our bodies. As always in Dr. Priya’s Kitchen, we encourage you to seek knowledge and choose your food wisely. As always, my prayer is for you to live long and strong!
