The Specialties of Local Fruits and Be Careful with Imported Fruits
The increased number of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and obesity in Indonesia are grouped into the preventable disease and not contagious diseases. According to some studies, 7 of 10 lethal diseases are preventable diseases and not contagious. Said Prof. Dr. Ir. Ahmad Sulaeman, Ms., Vice Dean of Human Ecology (FEMA) in the morning Dialogue at the RRI Bogor, recently.
"A wrong eating diet, such as a lack of fresh fruit and vegetable for their consumption, polluted foods, as well as bad lifestyle, causing us continuesly to be exposed to toxins which actually they could be avoided by consuming local fruits," said Prof Ahmad.
If people eat healthy diet, they shall cut a long way to prevent heart disease.
Physically, perhaps the local fruits are not as attractive as imported fruit which are uniform in their shape, color and size. But local fruits are fresher and more choices, as they are obtained from some our own gardens or orchids. While the imported fruit they have gone through the long journey and they have been stored for some time before they reach our hands, but the cold-storage technology enable them retain their freshness.
In terms of safety, local fruits are grown in the traditional methods, they do not use neither pesticides nor fertilizers. Thus, even they are not certified fruits, but as they are organic local fruits they contain higher nutritions.
While imported fruits, in terms of safety they are proofed to contain chemicals that are harmful to our health. In Europe, Prof Ahmad said, there is a fruit terminal named Rotterdam, where half-ripe fruits have been stored after they are harvested, and the storage processes will take for six months to two years. To avoid being decomposted and to be more attractive, those fruits are being coated with wax to reduce evaporation during the storage process. However, though they are covered with wax but they are infestable by fungus, therefore fungicide is added.
"The large scale fruit products, can not be separated from pesticides. According to the results of research conducted around the world, from harvest time more than five types of pesticides are utilized. Although the content of pesticides are below the threshold, but they remains harmful to our health. If we consume them continuously, they pesticides contains will be buildup in our body and causes various chronic diseases in, for exampale can cause danger on the fetus, so it may be having a spontaneous miscarriage. It also can affect the growth of the child before and after birth, "he explained.
In addition to utilize persticides the imported fruits are given naitsoil fertilizer made of human wastes. In the good and correct farming methods, human waste should not be used as fertilizer for plants, because in feces contain salmonella, E.coli and some microbial pathogens, which if they contaminate fruits and vegetables they would be harmful to health.
In the United States, some people were diagnosed to suffer intoxicated after they have consumed fruits and vegetables containing such microbes. Therefore, women who usually buy vegetables and fruits for the children and their families, Prof. Ahmad appealed to wash thoroughly and peel them before serving. (Wied).
