Sunday, October 7, 2012

How Good Is The Food You Put In yYour Shopping Cart?

When you go to the store do you think about where the food has come from that you put in your cart? Do you consider how it was grown? Is it organic? GMO(Genetically Modified)? Loaded with Pesticide residue?  Here are a few ways to evaluate your produce.

If the first digit on the produce sticker is a "9" the produce was organically grown.
If the first digit is an "8" then it was genetically modified.
If the first digit is a "0" or the number is simply a four digit code, the item was conventionally grown. This code is generally presented without the zero digit.

Some foods are cleaner than others in how they are grown and the way they take on pesticide residues. Look through the Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen list so you can shop more effectively.

Dirty Dozen Plus                                                Clean Fifteen
apples                                                                  onions
celery                                                                   pineapples
sweet bell peppers                                               avocado
strawberries                                                         cabbage
nectarines, imported                                            sweet peas
grapes                                                                  asparagus
spinach                                                                canteloupe, domestic
lettuce                                                                  eggplant
blueberries, domestic                                           sweet potatoes
potatoes                                                                mango's
cucumbers                                                            kiwi
peaches                                                                grapefruit
green beans +                                                       watermelon
kale/collard greens +                                            mushrooms
                                                                             sweet corn*

+ green beans and kale/collard greens may contain a highly toxic organophosphate pesticide residue.

* sweet corn that is used for biofuels and animal feed is almost all produced with genetically modified (GMO) seeds. Some sweet corn for human consumption falls into this category but it is not labeled in US stores. If you are not sure, it is best to buy organic sweet corn.

To learn more about food choices you can visit www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary/.

If you need help with putting together a food plan contact Dr. Caroline Smith of www.metabolismmagic.com

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