WHY AND WHAT SHOULD I EAT ORGANIC?

I hear this question a lot!

We are never looking to spend more on our groceries. But pesticides are toxins.  Every bite is an investment or a debt in our future health.  Children are particularly more susceptible.

I do understand it is impossible to live in a bubble in our world and we are exposed to many things we have little control over.  But (and this is a big but) we can control many things we are exposed to and it is our responsibility to protect our children until they are old enough to choose what they want to eat or be exposed to.

Kids are most susceptible as their livers and immune systems are underdeveloped a their brains and nervous system are growing rapidly.

What can we do? Watch this:

Sanjay Gupta’s comment on Clean Fifteen and Dirty Dozen:

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/health/2010/05/31/gupta.produce.pesticides.cnn.html

Exposure to Pesticides in Produce with Dr. Alex Lu, Harvard

http://youtu.be/MkRqaRQRZyo

More support and comments on EWG’s Clean Fifteen and Dirty Dozen and what should we do on a tight budget:

http://youtu.be/RBP_DElqHDk

Interesting test from Dr Oz: do you want your kids to be part of a chemistry experiment?

http://youtu.be/MFHO6FdVoOg

Print your list for EWG’s Clean Fifteen and Dirty Dozen at:

http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/

I am often asked at our nutrition workshops “where are the rest of the fruits and vegetables?”.  You can make a decision to go organic or conventional on these items.  The closer the item is to the dirty dozen, I will usually decide on organic and vice versa.  Here is the full list:

http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/list.php

EWG analyzed pesticide residue testing data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration to come up with rankings for these popular fresh produce items. All 48 foods are listed below from worst to best (lower numbers = more pesticides)

Note: EWG analyzed pesticide tests of 48 popular produce items. Domestic and imported versions of three items – nectarines, blueberries and snap peas- showed sharply different results, so we have ranked those domestic and imported items separately. As a result, the full list of foods ranked by the Shopper’s Guide displays 51 entries.

http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/list.php