Picture yourself sitting down to a picnic of fresh strawberries, ripe juicy apples and a head of sweet crispy lettuce.

You are 3 feet away from a scenic lake overlooking lush greens, the weather is perfect and you are ready for an afternoon feast.

A man with a gas mask comes along, and first he sprays the strawberries, apples and lettuce with a layer of pesticides, followed by a layer of fungicide, and finally a layer of “edible” wax.

Then he rinses the fruits and vegetables with some water, and offers them back to you.

Do you still desire to eat them?

This illustration is a bit dramatic, but in actual fact, that is what’s happening in conventional farms today.

Farmers who have lost regard for the wellness of soil, environment, and quality of crops, are focused only on yield maximization.

And thus, many conventional fruits and vegetables are grown with artificial fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, insecticides.

Can this lead to suicide for the human population if it carries on?

1) Organic Produces Are More Nutritious
It has been proven repeatedly that organically grown produces contain more vitamins and nutrients. Why? Because crops reflect the health of the soil they are grown in, they are more cared for using natural means (instead of chemical fertillizers).

2) Harmful Pesticides/Insecticides
Why does organic farming require more heart and effort? Because the farmers need to “coax” the soil back into fertility mode, as well as protect the crops without the use of harmful pesticides.

If a pesticide spray can kill bugs and keep them away, what can it do to us?

3) Possible Toxicity of Fruits And Vegetables Grown On Chemical-Laden Land
Harmful substances from chemically damaged soil will leech into the crops grown on them. When we consume these, we eat all that in as well.

For conventional crops, we don’t know what was the land used for previously. It could have been a dumping ground for many years and some harmful chemicals may still be embedded in the soil.

4) Demand Determines Supply
If we shun organic produces completely because of the price, we are just sliding down the slippery slope. We are actually voting with every dollar we spend in the market.

Do we want to continue to be caught in this predicament?

Or do we want to make a choice right now to claim what belongs to us - the right to eat non-toxic, natural and nutrient dense foods.

5) Global Shift
We have advanced nations, state-of-the-art buildings and incredible technology developments today.

But what is the sustenance of life? Are all these going to keep us alive if our soil is so damaged one day that it can’t even grow an apple tree?

Its cool to have an I-Phone from Apple; but its real apples which can keep us alive.

We are making a decision with every action we take, or don’t take everyday. Let’s make a choice today which will benefit our children, ourselves and most importantly, Mother Earth!

(C)Copyright 2008, Linda Loo

Tags: raw & living foods, raw food diet, raw food recipes, low fat recipies