Monday, May 17, 2010

The dirty dozen and the clean fifteen

There has been a lot in the news the past couple of weeks about how pesticides effect our bodies with links to cancer and ADHD. It doesn't take a genius to know that chemicals that kill insects aren't good for humans (especially growing and developing children) to consume either. It might not kill us immediately, but it can't be good for our bodies. It is easy not to think about pesiticides if you aren't the one spraying them...they look clean at the grocery store, then you wash them again when you get home. Plus, no one really wants to worry about fruits and vegetables when there are so many other bad foods tempting us 24/7.

In my small town, organic produce can be hard to come by if you don't grow them yourself or purchase them from a local (trusted) grower. The grocery stores just don't carry a wide selection around here. To make shopping easier, gardening more practical, and to stretch your dollar, it is important to know which items you need to buy organic and which don't carry a huge risk.

The Dirty Dozen
  • celery
  • peaches
  • strawberries
  • apples
  • domestic blueberries
  • nectarines
  • sweet bell peppers
  • spinach, kale and collard greens
  • cherries
  • potatoes
  • imported grapes
  • lettuce
The Clean Fifteen
  • onions
  • avocados
  • sweet corn
  • pineapples
  • mango
  • sweet peas
  • asparagus
  • kiwi fruit
  • cabbage
  • eggplant
  • cantaloupe
  • watermelon
  • grapefruit
  • sweet potatoes
  • sweet onions
If you have a hard time finding the right organic products at your grocery store, speak with the manager and ask if they can stock them. That is what I'm planning to do today! And don't forget to talk your local growers/famers' markets about how they raise their crops.

1 comment:

  1. I hope you can get the grocery store to stock organic products. Walmart has a few, which I buy, but Food Lion doesn't in the fresh variety. Much of their fruit comes from out of the country, which doesn't have the same guidelines as the U.S. Good luck.

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