| In the Bhagavad-gita,
Krishna states: "If one offers Me, with love and devotion, a
leaf, flower, fruit or water, I will accept it."
Some may assume from this statement that any offering, regardless
of its source, is acceptable to God. In fact, however, our
devotion
begins
with the selection of raw produce to prepare our meal
as an offering.
Only the very best should be offered according to one's capacity.  Naturally, the very best raw produce
is that which we plant, cultivate, and harvest ourselves. That's
a lot of work, no
doubt.
But the end results are incomparable—delicious tasting
fruits and vegetables, brimming with life! A celebration for
the eyes. Having worked on a farm, I know the unique satisfaction
of selecting fresh ingredients from the garden to prepare the
Lord's meal.
If you live in the city, however, growing
your own fruits and vegetables may not be practical. The next
best thing in this
case is to purchase organically grown fruits and vegetables,
free from harmful pesticides and genetic engineering. Genetic
engineering is a relatively new, sophisticated practice that
involves crossing the DNA of animals with that of fruits and
vegetables to enhance the plants’ resiliency to extreme
weather conditions and to prolong the shelf life of the produce.
Some are calling these new breeds of fruits and vegetables "Frankenstein
foods." Still, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does
not require labeling to identify genetically modified food!
If you can neither grow your own vegetables nor afford to purchase
organic varieties, at the very least, be sure to thoroughly wash
the produce with soap and warm water to effectively remove the
pesticides, which have been mixed with glue to enable them to
stick to the surface of the food.
For your reference, the following list identifies the 10 food
products most frequently and heavily contaminated by pesticides.
10 Most Important Foods to Buy Organic
From: Co-op America
Quarterly
Buying organic foods can reduce exposure to toxic foods--check
out your local natural foods stores, food co-ops and farmers'
markets. The following ten foods are the likely to be contaminated
by pesticides, and therefore it is most important to purchase
them from an organic source.
- BABY FOOD: Federal pesticide standards fail to adequately
regulate infant foods;16 pesticides are detectable in most
mainstream
brands.
- STRAWBERRIES: The single most heavily contaminated fruit
or vegetable sold in the US.
- RICE: Herbicides and insecticides have contaminated ground-water
near rice fields in California's Sacramento River Valley.
- OATS and OTHER GRAINS: With a recommended intake of 6 to
11 servings daily, you can't afford to ingest the excessive
pesticides
commonly used on grains.
- MILK: To stimulate greater milk production, many dairy companies
routinely use the growth hormone rBGH, followed up with antibiotics
to prevent infections, which often are caused by the hormone.
- CORN: Fifty percent of all pesticides applied annually in
the U.S. find their home in corn.
- BANANAS: The pesticides used during banana production include
benomyl (linked to birth defects) and chlorpyrifos (a neurotoxin).
- GREEN BEANS: Mexican green beans are the worst offenders--9.4%
of the crop is contaminated with illegal pesticides.
- PEACHES: The FDA cited above-average rates of illegal pesticide
violations on peaches.
- APPLES: Domestic apples have been found to be nearly as contaminated
as strawberries.
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