Getting green with Stefani Newman
What does going green mean for your food?
When you consider all the ways in which you can "go green," what comes to mind first? Banning plastic bags from the supermarket? Timed showers in tepid water?
If you're changing your lifestyle, you're probably thinking about your kitchen first, and organic food. But, who can spend all of their hard-earned money at Whole Paycheck (otherwise known as Whole Foods)?
It's very easy to become very overwhelmed about buying organic. And it should be! Organic and natural foods are one of the fastest-growing markets around, even in a struggling economy. You can find anything and everything in organic versions, from your favorite cereals to the sweetest ice-cream treats and desserts.
This doesn't mean, however, that everything you bring home needs to be organic!
The first (and what I think is the most important) lesson about organic food is the infamous "Dirty Dozen." Dirty Dozen foods are those that are the most heavily burdened with pesticides and are more likely to absorb them. Basically, you're better off buying these items organically first for basic health reasons, before you break the bank over organic splurges.
Public watchdog Environmental Working Group states its Dirty Dozen list as follows:
Peaches
Apples
Potatoes
Lettuces
Nectarines
Sweet bell peppers
Cherries
Strawberries
Celery
Spinach
Imported grapes
Pears
Some Dirty Dozen lists also include coffee, milk and meat as well.
For a comprehensive, dirty food-by-food explanation, check out this article from The Daily Green. I stick to this list fairly well, and I try very to buy these foods at local farmer's markets instead of grocery stores. This ensures that foods aren't traveling very far from farm to table, reducing the need for pesticides (as well as easing gas mileage of food trucks).
The tricky part is to eat quickly - even thought it's wonderful these foods are not contaminated with pesticides, it also mean they're preservative-free. Meaning, they'll go bad faster if you let them sit in your fridge!
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