A while ago, one of my granddaughters asked me, “Grandma, what is your favorite fruit?” I thought about it for a moment and then I replied,
“All of them!” I love lime and lemon and grapefruit, in fact all citrus. I love strawberries and cherries and peaches and of course, all of the berries. Next to fragrant flowers, fruits are the jewels of the plant world. I cannot imagine life without either of them.
I find it most disturbing; however, that the fruits and vegetables offered at most grocery stories have become something strange and in many cases, grossly larger than I remember them as a child. Quite often I am disappointed, especially with fruit. Peaches often lack juice, are tasteless, and I frequently have to simply throw them out, unless I can find local, organic ones. Grapes are now nearly the size of plums, but again, the taste is bland and the skins are tough. Raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries are a good two times larger than they were naturally, and the taste has been sacrificed for the size. Apples often look unreal in their outer perfection and wax coating, while the inside may be dry and mealy. Many fruits are sold in bags, in which you cannot see or choose what you are getting until you get it home and generally find one or two spoiled ones in the bag. Watermelon is no longer sold by the pound and one is hard pressed to find one with seeds. Since these larger fruits weigh more, they also cost the consumer more. We are paying more for an inferior product, while the suppliers pocket their profits.
Vegetables, too, have undergone genetic modification. The baking potatoes are two to three times larger than they used to be. Onions, too, have increased in size. While flavor and sweetness have been forfeited to produce products that ship well, it is the underlying detrimental effects to our health, of which we should be concerned. In addition to all of those fruits and vegetables that I have already mentioned, spinach, kale, tomatoes, and celery, too, have been shown to contain cancer causing substances from the pesticides used in growing them. Avocados that are not organically grown are always a gamble. Throwing out bad ones can get expensive. The nutritive value in many fruits and vegetables has decreased, as well, due to depleted soil and many other factors. If we are not obtaining the necessary nutrition from the foods that we eat, it will result in ill health for many. This makes Big Pharma happy, along with the medical community, who will profit from those suffering from poor health.
I decided quite some time ago that whenever possible, I will buy organic foods, and those that are free of artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. The increased cost means that I have less to eat, but if I can make the foods and nutrients that I do eat, really count, then I know I stand a better chance of remaining healthy.
