lately i have been noticing my tonsils swell when i eat conventional produce. That's the only relation i can make really... I thought it was only one type of fruits, or certain fruits, but when i eat the organic equivalent this does not happen it is very strange. could this even be possible or has anyone else had a similar reaction like this? like something happening when you eat conventional produce? My tonsils always swell when i'm fighting something off.

this never happened before... and my tonsils swelling is something that has only been happening in the past year or so. I have been eating fresh raw vegan since jan 05.

do you think i could be becoming more sensitive, or do you think it is something else?

Is the conventional produce you're eating genetically modified? Just hazarding a guess,

It sounds like your body is getting sensitive to the pesticides on the produce you are eating. Take this as a sign and don't buy those foods in their conventional versions.

The more you eat organic, the more you notice the difference between organic and conventional produce. I get some reactions when I eat certain conventional produce. So I don't each much conventional any more. But there are a few exceptions. Conventional avocados seem pretty clean to me. I also eat conventional frozen durian, but I don't think that is very clean (though I never have a reaction to it). If I'm at a farmer's market, I'll eat the non organic foods if they haven't been sprayed.

how can you tell if it is genetically modified?

I have been thinking about it for a while, but I am going to try hard to buy all my produce once a week at the farmers market. it is not that convenient this time of year to go to the fm because it is a little farther away, but honestly it is not all that far. I think I'm just going to do that from now on. In a month from now it will be a lot more easier because the markets will be more local.

How come the body doesn't notice these things at first?

ILoveJen,

This is because your body was used to a lot worse than just raw conventional produce. You were eating cooked foods, and the cooking process creates all kinds of carcinogens in the fats and starches in the foods. So when you first quit eating the cooked foods, your body was spending a lot of time healing itself until your taste and sensitivity could notice the pesticides in conventional foods. But also, it was necessary for you to experience foods without pesticides before your body could notice the pesticides.

Bryan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
But there are a few
> exceptions. Conventional avocados seem pretty
> clean to me. I also eat conventional frozen
> durian, but I don't think that is very clean
> (though I never have a reaction to it). If I'm at
> a farmer's market, I'll eat the non organic foods
> if they haven't been sprayed.

I agree on the avocados. It's my understanding that kiwi has a low amount of poison residue if non-organic as well. (and btw, I think to refer to poison-ridden food as "conventional" is insane, though I know it's the generally accepted term and way of being for the average person - sCARY!) And blueberries, I will eat conventional. There are very few exceptions for me as well, for example, only as a LAST RESORT do I get non-organic bell peppers, peaches, berries, spinach.

ETA - One more thing - a great book on the subject is Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. completely changed how I viewed the average "food" at the store, and I was already a vegan at the time.

[utopiankitchen.wordpress.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/03/2008 02:43AM by Utopian Life.

thanks for the replies.

After I started eating organic produce I noticed that non-organic strawberries made my mouth burn. I refuse to refer to non organic food as conventional, to think that covered in poison means conventional is just insane to me.
The only fruit and veggies I eat that are not certified organic is the citrus I pick from my backyard. :-)

wow i have been eating only organic since this post and i can totally feel the difference now. crazy. it makes me excited. it's a little bit more expensive, but worth it. organic goes farther for me i think. From now on i am just going to eat less and organic.

You guys have money.

I will eat organic when I have a good job, or two good jobs! Right now my conventional produce diet is costing me near $100/week (ok that includes $2/day for the dogs and beer) and it's killing me.

arugula, i hear u. i don't know how i'm going to do it yet. raw on regs is expensive as it is. like i said i think i'm just going to eat less. i posted an ad on craigslist that said that i would work for fruit on people's trees, and i got a reply. =) i am just going to have to learn to be more conscious. i am a student, and an artist at that. sacrificing the extra cash is a tough decision, but i think it will be worth it...

it's only been like two days or so and my skin already looks better, and i feel better, and if i feel better and look better then i can work harder, and hard work is good for the soul.

there are people out there making it happen. i can be one of them.

plus we vote with our dollars every day.

so there are a million reasons why not to do something, but also a million to. just depends on where u are looking i guess.