Organic Strawberries- a must!
When I found out I was pregnant with Chloe, eating clean became a top priority in my life. I wanted to provide her with the best nourishment I could from the start. Once she was born and started eating herself, going strictly organic was important to me. I made my own baby food for both of my children using only organic fruits and veggies. Feeding my kids is my shtick! I get pure joy out of feeding them to this day.
Now at 5 and 3, I no longer buy strictly organic. Although I still feed them as healthily as I possibly can, the cost is too high for me to be able to buy everything organic. My staples are milk and yogurt and the fruits and veggies referred to as "the dirty dozen"! You can lower your families pesticide intake substantially just by buying these fruits and veggies. Most of the foods listed below have either thin skin or no skin, which is the reason they are exposed to more pesticides that we end up eating (so scary to me). These fruits and veggies represent the USDA's list of most contaminated.
The Dirty Dozen
- Strawberries
- Apples
- Peaches
- Celery
- Sweet bell peppers
- Nectarines
- Blueberries
- Grapes
- Spinach
- Lettuce
- Cucumbers
- Potatoes
Green beans and leafy greens such as kale and collard greens were recently added to the dirty dozen because of the highly toxic insecticides they are contaminated with. The dirty fourteen doesn't sound as good as the dirty dozen! I find that Trader Joe's has decent prices on their organic fruits and veggies. If I don't buy them there, I buy at Bj's. Just be careful when buying in bulk because organic tends to go bad quickly. Freeze freezable fruits in baggies if you can't use them in due time. Frozen fruits are great for smoothies.
To keep your cost of food shopping down, here is a list of safer foods that you can buy non- organic. These are referred to as "the clean 15". Love the quirky titles!
The Clean 15
- Onions
- Pineapple
- Mangoes
- Avocado
- Watermelon
- Sweet Corn
- Cabbage
- Sweet Peas
- Asparagus (which surprise me)
- Cantaloupe
- Grapefruit
- Mushrooms (again, surprised)
- Sweet Potatoes
- Eggplant
- Kiwi
Happy & healthy eating!
good to know, going to print out this list, thanks!
ReplyDeleteYour very welcome Karen!!
DeleteGreat post. Perfect info for an organic newbie like me! You have a new follower in me.
ReplyDeleteAwesome! Thank you so much!
DeleteWe just bought a house and I can't wait to start a garden next summer so I am in complete control of how my produce grows! I've been learning so much about better foods and how they affect our bodies. Thanks for the advice
ReplyDeleteThat's great Carissa! Unfortunately, I have a black thumb so I have to resort to the market! LOL. My four year old is really into growing her own so I promised her we will attempt it next season!
DeleteOh my! I'm taking note of this now! Thanks thanks!
ReplyDeleteHappy SITS Day! :)
Scary, right?
DeleteI'm often have a running list of the dirty dozen in my head while I'm grocery shopping. Next up, memorize the clean 15.
ReplyDeleteIf it has thin skin- go organic...thick (watermelon), go non!
DeleteThat's how I do it!
My organic practices used to mirror yours. Then I moved to car country Michigan where health is not a way of life. Organic is super expensive. No Whole Foods or Trader Joes. My organic is usually just the farmer's market. I bet asparagus is on there because of its smell, it isn't liked by many bugs so they probably don't have to spray it much....same with mushrooms. Visiting from sharefest.
ReplyDeleteExcellent post, that I'm ready to put to use! Thanks so much! Stopping in from SITS! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the list Tara - I am printing it out! Happy weekend!
ReplyDelete