Simple Things You Can Do At Home To Minimize Pesticides / Chemicals on Your Food

Index of Diseases / Health Conditions ... Medicinal Foods, Herbs, Spices & Household Items

The Health Benefits of Organic Foods

The Most Contaminated Foods ... The Least Contaminated Foods

Toxic build-up / exposure have been linked to serious diseases and developmental disorders

Ways to Minimize Pesticides:

Rinse produce with running water to remove most trace residues.

• Commercial produce washes are unnecessary.
• Do not use detergents since they can leave their own chemical residues.

Remove and discard outer leaves of lettuce and cabbage.

Scrub thick-skinned produce such as apples, potatoes, carrots, and parsnips.

• Peeling the skin removes much of the fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other healthy compounds.
• If you can't peel -- Baking soda is a gentle scrub for fruits and vegetables that removes most (if not all) foodborne bacteria and pesticide residue. Shake some dry baking soda into your hands, rub it over the fruit and then rinse off under your kitchen faucet.

Choose low fat milk products and lean cuts of meat and poultry to minimize consumption of pesticides found in animal fat.

Consider eating organic vegetables, fruits, meat and poultry, since pesticides are not used in their growth and processing.

Ways to Minimize Growth Hormones and Antibiotic Residues in Meats:

Consider eating organic meat and poultry. Pesticides and hormones are not used in the growing process of organic foods.

Eat a variety of protein-rich foods to get the maximum nutritional benefit and to minimize your exposure to any one potential chemical.

• Incorporate vegetarian protein sources such as legumes, nuts, and seeds into your diet.


• Eat fish more often for its healthy omega-3 oils. - Click here to find the best and the worst fish to eat.


• Avoid eating animal protein (meat, poultry) every day.

When you do eat meat or poultry, note your serving size. Use the size of the palm of your hand as a guide for a healthy portion size.

Ways to Minimize Mercury in your Diet:

To minimize your intake of mercury from fish, Health Canada recommends:

• Limit your intake of:swordfish, shark, and fresh and frozen tuna to one meal per week for adults. 
• Pregnant women, women of child-bearing years, and young children should limit their intake to no more than 1 meal per month.  
• Health Canada states that canned tuna is safe; however, some research has found certain varieties of canned tuna such as albacore and blue fin to be higher in mercury than light or skipjack tuna. 
• Check with your territorial authority for advisories or information on sport fish caught in local waters.
• Click here to find the best and the worst fish to eat.
• Supplements, such a good quality Cod Liver Oil, are also an option. There are some lemon-flavored version that are not unpleasant to eat (click on the link for more info).

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