I just bit into an apple, and immediately noticed the area I bit into had at one time been occupied by a little worm of some sort.
Now, I’m into eating natural, earthy foods, but a worm? No thanks. I spit out the bite and thankfully the little bugger had already ditched this bachelor pad for something a little roomier. So I just cut around that general area and enjoyed the rest of my perfectly delicious organic apple.
That got me to thinking. Pesticides definitely serve their purpose. They offer us pretty much worm-free fruit & vegetables, and who wouldn’t like that?
But which is worse, occasionally finding a live worm in your fruit and possibly even consuming a little guy a couple times a year, or day in and day out eating fruit that has been sprayed with toxic poisons?
Well, if eating worms is a serious problem, then there would be some real debate. But is it harmful to eat an apple or other fruit with a worm? The answer is almost always NO. Your body just digests it like it does the rest of the food you eat. And most importantly these types of bugs are NOT the same as parasites that will live inside you and feed on your insides. Your stomach acids will kill this type of worm (assuming you didn’t already chew it to death).
A Worm a Day Keeps the Cancer Away?
Besides, I can keep my eye out for worm holes and pretty much avoid them. But I can’t wash off all the pesticides that have already compromised the natural goodness of my apple. With organic produce there is a CHANCE of coming across some of these benign little creatures, but with non-organic we are GUARANTEED something bad for our health every single time.
While I don’t advocate eating live bugs, the reality is, it’s more of a psychologically “gross” issue than a genuine health issue, at least when faced with your alternatives. Pesticides are linked to all kinds of diseases. But as far as I know, eating half a little worm is linked to….well, nastiness. It’s just conceptually undesirable and usually doesn’t lead to negative health consequences.
A few gross worm-discovery moments over the course of one’s life seems more desirable than daily consuming chemical pesticides that are commonly linked to major diseases.
Keep in mind you’re already consuming bug parts in your food. Fortunately the popular notion that we swallow eight spiders per year is a definite urban legend. But according to an ABC News article the FDA allows up to 60 bug parts per 100 grams in a bar of chocolate! Now that’s gross. And it’s not just chocolate, but many other factory processed or packaged foods as well. Allergy expert Dr. Morton M. Teich cites cockroach parts as the real reason why many people have “allergic reactions” to the chocolate.
He also says there really isn’t a way to completely avoid eating bug parts.
“To avoid [insects in your food], it’s almost impossible,” said Teich. ”You probably would have to stop eating completely.”
Suddenly it doesn’t seem like such a hassle to buy fresh, organic produce and give it a quick rinse, eh? I’ll take my chances with the worms I can see versus the pesticides and chopped up cockroaches I can’t.