Cantaloupes from Mexico tested positive for two or more pesticides in forty-eight percent of the samples, more than any other crop analyzed. Avoid offering this food to parrots during January through April, when Mexican imports are at their peak. Substitute U.S. cantaloupe in season, papaya, nectarines and watermelon.
Celery is a major source of exposure to neurotoxic pesticides. Eighty-one percent of samples tested contained detectable residues. This could mean that eight out of ten bites of celery that a parrot takes are bites of pesticides. Considering the minimal amounts of nutrition in celery, it is not worth the risk. Substitute carrots, romaine lettuce, broccoli and radishes.
Apples contain thirty-six different pesticides, more than any other fruit or vegetable, according to FDA data! Who said an apple a day keeps the vet away? Substitute pears, U.S. cantaloupe, kiwi, watermelon, nectarines, bananas or citrus fruit.
Apricots contain such high levels of pesticides, fourteen different kinds to be exact, that it is better to feed our parrots other fruits that are equally high in vitamins A and C and potassium. Substitute nectarines, tangerines, U.S. cantaloupes, watermelon, oranges and grapefruit.
Green beans are a major source of carcinogenic fungicides, neurotoxins, and endocrine disruptors. They provide only modest amounts of nutrients anyway so unless we can find organically grown greens beans, better leave them off our parrots' plates. Substitute green peas, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, asparagus and potatoes.
Grapes from Chile add a load of cancer causing and endocrine-disrupting fungicides to our parrots' diets. From January through April, a whopping ninety percent of the grapes sold in the U.S. are from Chile, where growers use less sophisticated pest control techniques than U.S. growers. Substitute domestic grapes in season.
Cucumbers contain unacceptable levels of Dieldrin, an extremely carcinogenic pesticide that was banned in the U.S. over twenty years ago. Unfortunately it is persistent in the soil and is taken up by cucumbers. One of every fourteen cucumber samples from across the U.S. and Mexico contained this highly toxic compound. Substitute carrots, romaine lettuce, broccoli or radishes.
Now that we know the twelve most contaminated foods, here are some foods that are low in pesticides and high in vitamins, minerals, and carotenoids.Sweet potatoes, broccoli, watermelon and brussel sprouts provide lots of vitamins, carotenoids, and minerals, along with relatively few pesticides.
To complement the twelve most contaminated crops, The Environmental Working Group compiled a list of the twelve cleanest crops. Ironically, avocados which are poisonous to parrots, are the very cleanest food that was tested! Onions, and green onions are not generally considered suitable parrot foods either, so these three foods are not included in the list below. These nine foods rank from only 14 of a possible 200 points in toxicity for corn, to 49 for broccoli. These are the lowest contamination scores of the fruits and vegetables commonly fed to parrots.
l. Corn
2. Sweet potatoes
3. Cauliflower
4. Brussel sprouts
5. Grapes (U.S.)
6. Bananas
7. Plums
8. Watermelon
9. Broccoli
We are fortunate indeed that corn, a big favorite of many species of parrots, is one of the least toxic foods available. Sweet potatoes are one of the most nutritious foods on earth, sometimes referred to as the perfect food, and it too is a favorite of many parrot species. Broccoli is another super food and if our birds don't like it raw, often they will enjoy it lightly steamed. We also can feed grapes and cantaloupes safely if we give them in season, from May through December.
As disturbing as the news is of widespread toxicity in our fresh foods, according to the Environmental Working Group, the picture is actually much bleaker than painted by the FDA data. Some of the foods listed as the least contaminated have incredibly high contamination rates if they come from certain countries. Examples are pears from Korea, blackberries and green peas from Guatemala, peas from China, kiwis from Chile, carrots and leaf lettuce from Mexico, and green onions and tomatoes from the United States. Farmers must contend with some 80,000 plant diseases, 30,000 species of weeds, 1,000 species of nematodes and more than 10,000 species of insects, so the problem of pesticide residues is not likely to end soon. Every year 100-150 million pounds of pesticides that cannot be used in the United States are exported for use in other countries. The foods that are treated with these banned chemicals are then imported back into the United States, to be sold at grocery stores nationwide. It is the recommendation of the EWG that we buy organic produce whenever possible!
Common sense practices can somewhat reduce pesticide residues on fresh fruits and vegetables. The USDA recommends that produce be washed under tap water before serving. Consumers should peel away and discard outer leaves, skin or rinds. Certain hardy vegetables, like potatoes and carrots, should be scrubbed if the fiber-rich skins are to be given to parrots.
The twelve most contaminated fruits and vegetables represent the majority of the health risks from pesticides that cause cancer, neurotoxic, and endocrine effects. We should minimize or eliminate these foods, and maximize the amount of foods with the least toxicity. By so doing, and by using organically-grown produce whenever possible, we can vastly reduce the amount of dangerous pesticides that we feed our parrots.
One way to provide inexpensive, organically-grown foods to our parrots is to start SPROUTING! Sprouts are live food which our parrots are biologically adapted to consume, high in enzymes, extremely nutritious, easy to grow, and best of all, uncontaminated by pesticides and other chemicals! When we grow them ourselves, we can be certain that they are pesticide free. By becoming informed and by diminishing this very real threat to our parrots, we can help them to achieve the level of health and longevity that they so richly deserve!
Taken
http://www.landofvos.com/articles/kitchen3.html