The Dirty Dozen

Happy Wednesday everyone!  Its been a busy start to the week over here - an unexpected shift at work, early meeting, belly photo shoot, tour of the maternity ward (!) and lots of errands.  More on the belly photo shoot and tour in tomorrow's baby update. :-)

I wanted to talk about buying organic products at the grocery store today.  These days, everyone is on a budget and many people can't afford to buy everything organic or just don't feel its necessary.  Every year, Environmental Working Group puts out a list called The Dirty Dozen - foods that rank the highest when tested for pesticide residues.  The data is from the previous years harvest, so it also includes information about where that particular food ranked the year before so you can see trends.  Obviously, its hard to know what is going on down on the farm this afternoon, but having as much information as possible so that you can make educated decisions is always good right?  I found this awesome article with a ton of good info.  I like that it gives you yummy alternatives to buy if you can't find that particular item in the organic section.

 

I personally take all this information with a grain of salt, too.  I try to go by the rule that if I'm eating the outside of the produce, organic is probably better (strawberries, apples, etc).  I don't feel its absolutely necessary to buy organic bananas.  Sometimes, organic isn't available depending on what is in season.  Also, I like to support local farms, so if its something that I don't *need* to buy organic, I'll opt for the local pick over the one from Chile.  We all know I'm a fan of farmer's markets (which are generally organic)....AND I'm going to start getting a produce delivery every week from a local farm!!  More on that to come.

(salad in a mixing bowl, just the way I like it: arugula, chickpeas, sundried tomatoes, pepperoncinis, feta, nutritional yeast and light champagne viniagrette)

So what's on the latest Dirty Dozen you ask?
1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Strawberries (always on the list)
4. Peaches
5. Spinach
6. Nectarines
7. Grapes
8. Sweet Bell Peppers (and this article has it listed as a fruit.  I know tomatoes are a fruit, but this was news to me.)
9. Potatoes
10. Blueberries

I think today's sunshine calls for me breaking out the juicer and making some fresh, organic lemonade.  Talk about local! :-) (That tree is in a common area, I'm not stealing from the neighbors!)

Have a fantastic day everyone! xo Shaina