Why are nitrates in fruits and vegetables dangerous? How to choose products free of nitrates and pesticides? How to protect yourself and your child from nitrates? Doctor Komarovsky answers
The "vegetable season" has begun in Ukraine. There are only a couple of months left to "nourish" the child with vitamins and useful microelements, which are most of all in seasonal vegetables and fruits. Many people mistakenly think that there are no nitrates or pesticides in them, and the September watermelon is definitely safer than the July watermelon. In fact, farmers constantly use chemical fertilizers and pest control agents. How they can be dangerous, and how to protect a child from their effects, says pediatrician Yevgeny Komarovsky.
Are nitrates dangerous to health?
No one can control the quality of products on the market / istockphoto.com
For a long time, people came to the conclusion: in order to increase yields, plants need fertilizers and mechanical cleaning of pests. However, in the current scale of agriculture, covering the fields with manure and compost, and picking off every bush from bugs is unrealistic. The chemical industry came to the rescue: today a huge amount of synthetic fertilizers (nitrates) and plant protection products from pests (pesticides) have been invented in the world. Only the last in the world, there are about 5 thousand.
Not all of modern "field chemistry" is harmful to human health. For example, there are pesticides that contain the same active ingredient as products for fight against head lice. However, they are quite expensive, and if poured with such a product near wheat, bread will become more expensive than red caviar. Therefore, farmers follow the path of economy and choose more affordable, but at the same time, more toxic chemicals.
Unfortunately, they are used almost everywhere in the fields: even at the height of the season, they seek to stimulate the crop and protect it from pests. The problem is that you and I have no way of controlling the amount of fertilizers and pesticides in all those products that we buy. At the same time, the excess of toxic chemicals makes them dangerous. For example, if you or your child vomit after a familiar vegetable or fruit, or the rash has gone Is a sign that it has been overprocessed.
How to protect yourself from nitrates and pesticides?
Water can help get rid of pesticides in fruits and vegetables / istockphoto.com
First tip Evgeny Komarovsky - refuse to buy vegetables and fruits in spontaneous markets. Everything is very simple: the grandmother, who sells cucumbers in the bazaar, does not have any documents for the goods. No matter how she inspires you with confidence, you do not know exactly what and in what quantities she watered the bushes.
“Try to buy something that has a civilized packaging. Everything that has packaging must be certified and controlled for the content of fertilizers and pesticides in agricultural products. Yes, everything can be bought now, including the certificate. However, buying carrots in packaging and with a certificate, we increase our chances of not getting poisoned, ”emphasizes Yevgeny Komarovsky.
Second tip expert: do not be afraid of GMO foods. After all, the main task of genetic modification is precisely to increase the resistance of the product to pests. “Therefore, one of the main reassignments of GMO products is to protect us from excess fertilizers and pesticides,” emphasizes Evgeny Komarovsky.
Third tip: use river fish with caution. After each rain, fertilizers and chemical protection, with which the soil was abundantly watered, rapidly flow into ponds, lakes and rivers. So fish may well be contaminated with pesticides, and even more so than vegetables and fruits. Therefore, serious fish farms are sure to protect ponds from chemical runoff. Pay attention to this and do not take fish on the market from an unknown supplier.
Fourth tip: obligatory washing of vegetables and fruits. Pesticides, as a rule, do not penetrate deep into vegetables and fruits, but remain on the skin. So thorough washing allows you to get rid of them by 70-80%. For young children, you can even peel off the skin, although many of the products lose their useful properties without it.
Fifth tip: Do not hesitate to see your doctor. If you ate not very "successful" yogurt and after that you have an intestinal infection, you will go to the hospital and it is possible that you will even initiate an investigation in the supermarket. If vomiting and diarrhea started after you ate a “market” tomato, you are not going anywhere. Meanwhile, pesticide poisoning can cause serious toxicity. So go to the doctors and tell them what and when you ate.
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