This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Knowledge & Support Community

Guys,

I'm curious.

Do you consume only organic food (organic meat, vegetables, and cereals) on your diet?

If yes, Do you think that non-organic food is related to MS?

Excellent questions!

I can tell you that based on the research I have done, there is probably no real advantage to eating organic over conventionally grown foods when it comes to fruits and vegetables. I once thought, as probably many do, that organic means pesticide free. Nothing can be further from the truth. Pesticides are most definitely used with organic foods. 'Slick' marketing would have you think otherwise. In fact, pesticides certified for organic use often don't work very well (I am referring to those used for fruits and vegetables) so the farmers/growers end up using more and there is more pesticide residue on/in the fruits or vegetables.

When it comes to meats, organic is probably better than conventional but the animals can still be fed grains. Based on my research, grass fed is probably the best (and all I consume) and grain fed meat, even if it is 'organic' should be avoided by anyone that is sick, especially someone with MS. Additionally, if you choose to eat fish, avoid farm raised fish (yes, farm raised fish are fed grains and can often be raised in unsanitary conditions) and only eat wild caught - fatty fishes that are considered good for you are wild caught salmon, tuna and sardines which are high in Omega 3. There are others.

"Do you consume only organic food (organic meat, vegetables, and cereals) on your diet?"

I follow a totally gluten free diet so I do not eat any cereals (not sure what kind of cereals you are referring to anyway, perhaps you can elaborate), eat only grass fed meats and for the most part eat only vegetables that I grow myself. I consume virtually no fruit (except for frozen berries that I use to flavor the water kefir that I make (kefir is a fermented beverage high in good bacteria). I do consume a few gluten free grains such as rice, quinoa and buckwheat, but will eat organic or conventional.


"Do you think that non-organic food is related to MS?"

There is no way to answer this accurately as no one knows for sure. My 'guess' would be that diet plays a role in MS, and pesticides probably have an effect, but whether they are organic or conventional pesticides IMHO opinion would not make a difference. All pesticides are most likely bad for human consumption. FWIW, I believe MS was around long before heavy pesticide use became commonly used.

I didn't know that organic vegetables also has pesticides. I'm worried.

I only buy organic because I eat a lot of vegetables. Fruits I eat every day one little portion.

I watched a video where a doctor was teaching how to remove pesticides from vegetables. He said that you need to use 5ml of iodine tincture (solution of 2%) per 1 liter of water. Put the vegetable in a big bowl filled with water then add the iodine tincture. Cover the Bowl and let it act for 1 hour. Finally, you need to wash the vegetables and they will be without any pesticides.

I have listened to the Tim Ferris podcast with Tony Robbins (the world-renowned coach). Tony said that he has consumed fatty fish for almost 30 years as his favored protein source. However, even buying it from the best sources available in Canada and US he got mercury poisoning. This made my think. If a multimillionaire guy had mercury poisoning eating fish imagine what will happen with the average ''Joe''. Now, he is eating meat only from grass-fed animals.

I wouldn't loose too much sleep worrying about pesticides in organic veggies and fruits. I believe the ones used on organics are fairly harmless ones like BT (a caterpillar killing bacteria). From what I understand the worst non organic foods as far as pesticides are strawberries, apples, peaches, celery and spinach. For these it would make sense to buy organic. Here in the USA, CSA's (community supported agriculture) are a great way to get a clean, safe supply of fruits and veggies. As for fish, there are some species that are high in mercury - swordfish, shark and tuna (canned light tuna is better than solid white tuna). Others like salmon, shrimp and cod are pretty safe.If you must eat red meat I agree that grass fed is far better. Being an informed consumer makes a lot of sense, but you can drive yourself crazy if you worry about everything you eat.

I wouldn't loose too much sleep worrying about pesticides in organic veggies and fruits.

Well, I guess it depends on how much of them you are consuming. I first became aware of the issue because of a thread on this site. As someone who always ate a lot of both, and increased my intake substantially of certain specific leafy green vegetables as recommended by Dr. Wahls (which are among the worst offenders when it comes to pesticides, conventional or organic), I became very concerned.



I believe the ones used on organics are fairly harmless ones

You are mistaken, sorry. Again, 'slick' marketing has worked on you. But the good news is that I have found an article that will enlighten you and others to the seriousness of the problem and may cause those who consume a lot of either or both to reconsider things:

https://risk-monger.blogactiv.eu/2015/1 ... c-farming/


The only solution is to grow your own!

ElliotB wrote:I wouldn't loose too much sleep worrying about pesticides in organic veggies and fruits.

Well, I guess it depends on how much of them you are consuming. I first became aware of the issue because of a thread on this site. As someone who always ate a lot of both, and increased my intake substantially of certain specific leafy green vegetables as recommended by Dr. Wahls (which are among the worst offenders when it comes to pesticides, conventional or organic), I became very concerned.



I believe the ones used on organics are fairly harmless ones

You are mistaken, sorry. Again, 'slick' marketing has worked on you. But the good news is that I have found an article that will enlighten you and others to the seriousness of the problem and may cause those who consume a lot of either or both to reconsider things:

https://risk-monger.blogactiv.eu/2015/1 ... c-farming/


The only solution is to grow your own!

If you are really concerned about the pesticides, why not wash them with an ultrasonicator in hot water?
http://ultrasonic-cleaners.org/ultrason ... tchen.html

"If you are really concerned about the pesticides, why not wash them with an ultrasonicator in hot water?"

IF it were only that simple! While washing them as you propose is a good alternative to regular washing, since pesticides on not limited to being on the surface of the fruit or vegetable they are used on, and there is no way of knowing for sure if the pesticide on the surface has been completely removed through washing, it is not a perfect solution.

Here is a well written article on this topic:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/heal ... /index.htm

From that article:

"Rinsing can remove the surface residues, as well as dirt and bacteria. But you can’t completely wash away the pesticides—or the risk. Pesticides can stick to soft skins, and the wax coating used on some produce can trap pesticide residues. And some pesticides are systemic, that is they are taken up by the plant’s root system and get into the fruit or vegetable flesh so they can’t be washed off."

Elliot,
Sonication uses a high frequency wave to break apart chemicals and disperse them out of the foods.

"Sonication uses a high frequency wave to break apart chemicals and disperse them out of the foods."

mrtmeo, can you please provide a link to where you read this?

The 'ultrasonicator' your linked to and others like it simply clean the outer surfaces, which is a good thing. But a device that could actually disperse chemicals out of the foods as well would be something I am definitely interested in getting more information on.

mrtmeo wrote:Sonication uses a high frequency wave to break apart chemicals and disperse them out of the foods.

It seems unlikely that this would happen without turning the food into pulp.

I'm using Lugol (iodine) solution to clean vegetables and fruits.

Interestingly, there is a website under the name National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC).

According to their site, "NPIC is a cooperative agreement between Oregon State University and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency "

The site offers a lot very informative/enlightening info related to this topic:

http://npic.orst.edu/faq/fruitwash.html

ElliotB wrote:"Sonication uses a high frequency wave to break apart chemicals and disperse them out of the foods."

mrtmeo, can you please provide a link to where you read this?

The 'ultrasonicator' your linked to and others like it simply clean the outer surfaces, which is a good thing. But a device that could actually disperse chemicals out of the foods as well would be something I am definitely interested in getting more information on.

Here is the info from Dr Hulda Clark
http://www.livingnetwork.co.za/drclarkn ... sonicator/

NHE wrote:

mrtmeo wrote:Sonication uses a high frequency wave to break apart chemicals and disperse them out of the foods.

It seems unlikely that this would happen without turning the food into pulp.

It won't do anything to heavy metals, dyes or lanthanides.

Unless you have the savy to grow your own High Brix produce, organic is the only other option.


Pesticides are a big problem but this story shows that just by changing to totally organic foods, their pesticide levels go way down.
As long as our body can detox the poisons faster than they are getting into us, we can have health.
However, Glyphosate is chelator, so getting replacement vitamins and minerals is essential.
Glyphosate is on and in everything but is far less on organic foods.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/1 ... 44000.html