How dangerous is all the pesticides, hormones, chemicals etc in our food?

[AlexKid]

How dangerous is all the pesticides, hormones, genetically modified crops, artificial sweeteners and chemicals that go in our food?


Because its almost unavoidable, I would imagine youd have to go to quite some lengths to avoid all chemicals in food, even with organic food no ones gonna but an apple with maggots in so pesticides are used right?

Anyway im tired of teh scare mongerers and the food companies with polar opposite opinions,whats the truth how dangerous is all these things I cant pronounce that im eating on a daily basis?

[Redd Foxx]

Food for thought; "advanced" countries that use more processing, food science, and commercial farming (including pesticides, GMOs, etc) such as the USA, UK, CAN, AU, Norway, Denmark, and France, .

The lowest are mostly agrarian, poor, African countries.

I'm sure it's more than just food but if we are to draw conclusions and connect the dots, it makes sense to start with the things we are putting directly into our bodies. Large farms aim to produce the largest, most attractive foods possible because this is how a farm makes it's money. Nutrition is not a consideration and if you've tried both, you know that organic/small farm foods tend to be far more flavorful because they have a higher/more varied nutritional content. It's recently been proven that organic foods even have a higher omega 3 content.

I used to be dismissive of such things, even after I studied nutrition and dietary management in school. Now, in my 30's I'm coming to terms with the fact that everything we do now has a consequence someday. My diet is around 50% organic now and less than 5% of what I eat is pre-prepared. After doing this for the past year I can honestly say that my energy is up, as is my mood, and I eat a LOT less (probably because the food I'm eating now has a better nutrient profile and I'm not always hungry).

If you're interested in the subject, I believe Jamie Oliver has books/videos that will get you on the right track. He strikes me as someone who, like myself, encourages proper nutrition and quality food sources but is very pragmatic and doesn't take it over the top.

[AlexKid]

Food for thought; "advanced" countries that use more processing, food science, and commercial farming (including pesticides, GMOs, etc) such as the USA, UK, CAN, AU, Norway, Denmark, and France, .

The lowest are mostly agrarian, poor, African countries.

I'm sure it's more than just food but if we are to draw conclusions and connect the dots, it makes sense to start with the things we are putting directly into our bodies. Large farms aim to produce the largest, most attractive foods possible because this is how a farm makes it's money. Nutrition is not a consideration and if you've tried both, you know that organic/small farm foods tend to be far more flavorful because they have a higher/more varied nutritional content. It's recently been proven that organic foods even have a higher omega 3 content.

I used to be dismissive of such things, even after I studied nutrition and dietary management in school. Now, in my 30's I'm coming to terms with the fact that everything we do now has a consequence. My diet is around 50% organic now and less than 5% of what I eat is pre-prepared. After doing this for the past year I can honestly say that my energy is up, as is my mood, and I eat a LOT less (probably because the food I'm eating now has a better nutrient profile and I'm not always hungry).

If you're interested in the subject, I believe Jamie Oliver has books/videos that will get you on the right track. He strikes me as someone who, like myself, encourages proper nutrition and quality food sources but is very pragmatic and doesn't take it over the top.

Thanks for the advice!

[GTTofAK]

Food for thought; "advanced" countries that use more processing, food science, and commercial farming (including pesticides, GMOs, etc) such as the USA, UK, CAN, AU, Norway, Denmark, and France, .

The lowest are mostly agrarian, poor, African countries.

And that couldn't' possibly have anything to do with most poor African countries having an average life expectancy in the 50s? If you population isn't living long enough to get cancer you probably wont have a very high cancer rate.

[Redd Foxx]

And that couldn't' possibly have anything to do with most poor African countries having an average life expectancy in the 50s? If you population isn't living long enough to get cancer you probably wont have a very high cancer rate.

Except for the fact that studies which scale for age STILL find that the percentages for cancer are lower. And, studies show that African countries which are Westernizing (diet, lifestyle, etc) are proportionally suffering higher cancer rates which cancer study orgs are directly attributing to these changing lifestyles.

[GTTofAK]

Except for the fact that studies which scale for age STILL find that the percentages for cancer are lower. And, studies show that African countries which are Westernizing (diet, lifestyle, etc) are proportionally suffering higher cancer rates which cancer study orgs are directly attributing to these changing lifestyles.

Please show such ****ing studies. I'd like to see how some jackass claims to be able to adjust for that.

[Redd Foxx]

Please show such ****ing studies. I'd like to see how some jackass claims to be able to adjust for that.

Predictable response. I don't do homework for trolls. The info is out there for anyone brave enough to face it. The WHO (world health organization) is a fantastic source for data and hundreds, perhaps thousands of papers are out there interpreting the information, and finding why these statistics exist.
The situation in Africa doesn't seem to be generic predisposition either as black men suffer the highest rates of cancer in America.
Interestingly, cancer in the west has recently started a downward slope, which is partially due to changes in lifestyles. Another reason fewer people are dying in certain developed nations is due to screening. If you looked at actual cancer diagnosis, and not deaths, the numbers would support my original sentiments even greater. I've not seen those numbers compared globally though.

[Syf]

Also of interest is the China study. A massive undertaking that yielded very interesting and pertinent information.

[GTTofAK]

Predictable response. I don't do homework for trolls. The info is out there for anyone brave enough to face it. The WHO (world health organization) is a fantastic source for data and hundreds, perhaps thousands of papers are out there interpreting the information, and finding why these statistics exist.

I did a quick search of the literature I could find little in the actual academic literature.

I would hypothesize that some moron might have thought that you can sample only those who live longer but that is a flawed method because if some African is living into their 80s you would most likely find that their entire family is long lived because of excellent genetics and not life choices.

[Furn]

As a scientist I can tell you that its perfectly safe. The trace amounts of these things found n food are many times below proven safe levels.

These things are worked out by some of the smartest people in the world.

The scaremonging by sites like naturalnews its just to sell you their BS placebo products and the ignorant housewives eat it up.

“Let me be clear about one thing, the organic label is a marketing tool. It is not a statement about food safety. Nor is ‘organic’ a value judgment about nutrition or quality.”

USDA Secretary Dan Glickman