Julie Vecera

Acupuncturist, Nutritionist and Traditional Chinese Medical Practitioner
View more about Julie via bumpcarlton.com.au website here

Let's face it eating organic food is expensive and not always easy to get your hands on! There is, however, plenty of research reporting negative effects on both male's and female's fertility when exposed to harmful herbicides and pesticides. Many non-organic vegetables are treated with chemicals that encourage them to grow rapidly, grow large and last longer.

Organic vegetables and fruit have been shown in studies to have more nutritional value. Often you will find they don't look quite as good and won't last as long, but that's how things naturally occur for fruits and vegetables once they have been harvested. Most people feel they can taste the difference very easily between organic and non-organic.

Non-organic dairy also contains added hormones and antibiotics which can contribute to the increase in estrogen levels in the body. Similar things can be said for grain fed cattle that have also been found to contain higher levels of hormones and antibiotics, causing the same estrogen issues. So choosing grass fed meats would be a healthier choice. Chicken should be free range or organic for health purposes and for the care of the animal itself.

Since it's not always an easy or viable option to eat everything organic, I do recommend you buy this produce organic because they're the ones that are most commonly treated with pesticides.

  • apples
  • peaches
  • nectarines
  • strawberries
  • grapes
  • celery
  • spinach
  • red capsicum
  • cucumbers
  • cherry tomatoes
  • potatoes
  • blueberries
  • I would add Kale and lettuce to that!

These are known as the clean 15 and are ok to purchase non-organic (ordered from least contaminated):

  • onions
  • sweet corn
  • pineapples
  • avocado
  • cabbage
  • sweet peas
  • asparagus
  • mangos
  • eggplant
  • kiwi
  • cantaloupe
  • sweet potatoes
  • grapefruit
  • watermelon
  • mushroom

So, my advice is do the best you can and keep a lot of variety within your diet. And remember, that in Australia it's only organic if it's actually labelled 'certified organic'.

Julie Vecera is a Chinese Medical Practitioner, Nutritional Advisor and Acupuncturist. She is available for private consultations in various locations in Melbourne or via Skype.bumpcarlton.com.au or bumplusnutrition.com

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