NutriKidz

Please don’t let Mamavation’s latest article stop you from buying strawberries.

1. This wasn’t a scientific study.
The sample size was too small to make any real conclusions. They tested two containers from one store. One was conventionally grown, and the other was organic. They tested them in their own independent lab looking for the presence of pesticides.

2. They created a new term to scare us.
Forever chemicals do exist, but forever pesticides are a made up term. That’s what they labelled any pesticide that contained a Florine atom.

3. The dose matters.
Just because something contains a pesticide does not mean it will cause harm. Products grown, or imported in Canada must have residues below maximum residue limits (MRLs). These are set by looking at how much of a given food is eaten on a regular basis and across their lifespan. Then this number is reduced by 100x to buffer for safety.

To put this in perspective, a 50 pound child would need to eat over 40 containers of unwashed strawberries every day for the rest of their lives! This is simply not possible.

The Takeaway? Keep buying strawberries, whether grown conventionally or organically keep buying them. Wash them before eating and consider adding in diluted vinegar or baking soda to remove even more residue.

Fake fibre? More like fortified fibre!

Here is the truth: Your body doesn’t need a passport for your fiber. Whether it comes from a blackberry or it’s been added to your morning yogurt (often as chicory root or inulin), fiber is a carbohydrate that your body can’t digest.

While “whole food” sources are fantastic because they come with a suite of vitamins and minerals, fortified fiber is still functional. It helps with regularity, supports gut health, and—most importantly—helps bridge the “Fiber Gap” that most kids and adults are currently falling into.

Calling it “fake” is not only scientifically inaccurate, it adds unnecessary stress to parents just trying to get a kid to stay regular!

Age Group Recommended Fiber (Grams/Day)
1–3 Years 19g
4–8 Years 25g
9–13 Years (Boys) 31g
9–13 Years (Girls) 26g
14–18 Years (Boys) 38g
14–18 Years (Girls) 26g

If your child is getting their fiber from a mix of raspberries, beans, and a fiber-fortified snack, they are winning. We don’t need to fear-monger food labels to be healthy.