Naturalpath

Human beings are at the top of the food chain, thus we bioaccumulate the collective environmental toxins that go into the growth and processing of our food. Every step between you and your food is a pathway for toxins to be added to your dinner plate.

Most of the crops in the United States are grown with the aid of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and fungicides, and some of these are potentially harmful to the environment and people. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 30% of insecticides, 60% of herbicides, and 90% of fungicides are carcinogenic. Evidence suggest that that these agrochemicals are present in our food supply, and even very low levels of these chemicals may be causing problems for humans, especially children.

Pigs, chickens, dairy cows and fish are crowded into factory farming to maximize their production, resulting in multiple hormones and antibiotics just to keep the animals alive. Bovine Growth Hormone (BHG), used in dairy cows to increase milk-production, is a pro-tumor hormone, leading to increased risk of cancerous growths. Antibiotics are also a common additive to livestock, and farmers use a whopping 70% of the antibiotics produced every year in the United States. When we eat conventionally grown food animals, we're ingesting all of these potentially harmful additives.

The more hands (or machines) that your food passes through before it gets to your plate, the more likely it is that toxic chemicals have been added. Food processing destroys many of its vital nutrients. Freezing, canning, irradiation, pasteurization, and sterilization can all decrease food quality. Irradiation can change the chemical structure of food and also produce toxic byproducts. Food additives, food colorings, flavor enhancers (such as MSG), preservatives, artificial flavorings, and artificial sweeteners are used frequently, even though their safety may be in question.