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Why is it so necessary to limit pesticides? Many studies show a link between exposure to pesticides during childhood and fertility problems later. Early puberty and menopause, infertility, cancers, metabolic diseases (diabetes, etc.). If all these diseases are not directly related to pesticides, the correlations multiply. What’s more, it is often the combination of several pesticides that creates a harmful “cocktail effect”.
Organic, the must
Some fruits and vegetables are therefore to be bought organic preferably, because they can be very loaded with pesticide residues in conventional agriculture. This is the case for raspberries, blackberries, citrus fruits, grapes, strawberries, pome fruits (top apples), or even peppers and salads. Another advantage of organic food: it offers the guarantee of being GMO-free (genetically modified organisms), additional safety in view of insufficient data on their effects.
Fish: beware of heavy metals
To enjoy the benefits of fish and prevent the risk of chemical contamination, it is best to follow a few tips. Methylmercury, PCBs or dioxins have been or are still used by industry, so they are still present in oceans and rivers, contaminating some fish. In high doses, mercury is toxic to the nervous system, especially in utero and during infancy. As a precaution, ANSES has therefore issued several recommendations for toddlers: exclude from their diet certain species likely to be particularly contaminated, such as swordfish or sharks *. These large predators, at the end of the food chain, eat fish that have eaten other fish, etc., so the pollutants are likely to be very concentrated. Other fish should be limited to 60 g per week: monkfish, sea bass, sea bream … And some freshwater species which tend to accumulate high levels of pollutants such as eel or carp, are to be limited to 60 g every two months.
For other species, you can offer it twice a week, favoring fish at the bottom of the food chain: sardines, mackerel, etc. Fresh or frozen, wild or farmed? It doesn’t matter, but vary the fishing grounds and opt for quality labels (Label Rouge) or the organic “AB” logo guaranteeing the absence of GMOs in their food.
Industrial products: occasionally
Ready-made foods should not be totally banned because they are very practical! But limit their consumption as much as possible. Another good reflex: take a close look at their composition and opt for those with the shortest list of ingredients, in order to limit additives, the E320 for example, present in certain ready meals, candies, cookies, etc. Studies on their effects on health are still insufficient, and as again everything depends on the degree of exposure, it is better to be wary of them.