Fruits and vegetables are healthy, but industrially grown produce may not be the healthiest for you. The way they are processed and stored could reduce vitamin content. Pesticides are the most likely chemicals that contaminate your food. They are intended to kill bugs and you may ingest chemicals that are intended to eradicate living organisms. When pesticides enter your body, they could stop at anywhere. Other than for killing bugs, commercial growers also need to eradicate weeds and other unwanted plants. They steal nutrients from the soil, which are intended for the actual vegetable plants and fruit-bearing trees. Excessive uses of herbicide could be linked to prostate cancer, breast cancer and other cancer types.
Preservatives could also be used to ensure that food remain usable longer. It is not only intended to slow down the natural decay, but also the visual appearance. The shelf life of the food could be reduced by the contamination of bacteria and the effects of enzyme. Foods with sulphites added are preserved. People who have allergic reactions to preservatives could suffer from sneezing, breathing difficulty, swollen throat and hives. Sulphites neutralize thiamine or vitamin B1, which is essential for the prevention of diabetes, inner working of nerve impulses and the metabolism carbohydrates. Genetic modification could be implemented to make plants grow better and produce more food. Some variants of canola, corn and soybean are genetically modified, which could have an effect on our body. Protein and fatty acids from these plants could also be slightly modified as unwanted side effects, which may cause problems in our body.
Processed fruits and vegetables could have food additives to lower costs, enhance flavours, improve appearance and increase shelf life. The FDA already approved more than one thousands of additives. Constant consumption of food additives could cause brain damage, birth defects, kidney damage, liver damage, migraine headaches, allergies and cancer. The sheer availability and common usages of food additives make it very hard for us to avoid them. However, we could be able to significantly reduce exposure by consuming fresh produce. If we need to eat processed food, as an example during camping and emergency situations; you should read the ingredients on the labels. A general rule is that if a substance has numbers in its name or difficult to pronounce, then it is likely artificially manufactured or heavily processed from existing natural sources.
Food can also be irradiated to destroy insects, viruses, bacteria and other microorganisms. In reality, irradiation also degrades texture, smell and flavour of the food. Studies have shown that animals fed with irradiated foods could cause various health problems. Risks of consuming irradiated food may include stunted growth on toddlers, immune system failure, organ damage, mutation, stillbirths, tumor, cancer and premature death. Food storage and transport could also reduce the nutritional values of food, especially if they are stored for a prolonged period of time in specific places. Because eating commercially grown fruits and vegetables are risky; you should know where you get them.