Nicholas Kristof. If you don't know who he is, Google him. He's one of the most brilliant writers on staff at the NYTimes, and he has written some of the most compelling, inspiring stuff that I read. I suggest that you always read Kristof's pieces in the NYTimes. His blog can be found here.
He recently wrote an article about the President's Cancel Panel's recent (and surprising) posturing against chemical food additives.
The panel, established in 1971, consists of three people appointed by the president who report directly to the big guy. Anyways, for years, the organic food movement has struggled to gain ground because many of our nation's big whigs have paid little attention to the industry's claims that pesticide-laden, chemically altered/laced foods are largely responsible for the constantly rising cancer rates in our country and elsewhere. But now that the President's Cancer Panel has supported these claims, our grocery stores might change a lot.
The Panel's statement will hopefully lead to increased nutritional education in schools, reformed cafeteria menu planning, and improved subsidies for organic farmers. This might be a key step towards getting people to consume more healthy, chemical-free produce. And towards starting children out in a healthier world from a young age.
In addition to buying organic, read food labels carefully. The more "whole" your diet, the better. We didn't evolve with preservatives, so there's no telling what all of those multi-syllabic chemicals are doing to you. If you can't pronounce it, it's probably don't more harm than good.
The Panel's other suggestions for staying chemical-free in your daily lives are:
>Particularly when pregnant and when children are small, choose foods, toys and garden products with fewer endocrine disruptors or other toxins. (Information about products is at www.cosmeticsdatabase.com or www.healthystuff.org.)
>For those whose jobs may expose them to chemicals, remove shoes when entering the house and wash work clothes separately from the rest of the laundry.
>Filter drinking water.
>Store water in glass or stainless steel containers, or in plastics that don’t contain BPA or phthalates (chemicals used to soften plastics). Microwave food in ceramic or glass containers.
>Give preference to food grown without pesticides, chemical fertilizers and growth hormones. Avoid meats that are cooked well-done.
>Check radon levels in your home. Radon is a natural source of radiation linked to cancer.
No comments:
Post a Comment