Healthier eating, Step one:

I know when I started this journey it was a bit overwhelming.  Where to start?  I wanted to make the most impact on my health now.  I started researching and saw a common theme.  Eat organic and eat whole foods. Organic foods were more nutritious, non-gmo and tasty.  Starting to eat organic is daunting and it’s expensive.  After reading many articles, the common threads were to start with:

1) Organic Meat and Dairy -(animal products like chicken, eggs, cheese, butter, yogurt, milk, etc.) are the most important to buy organic because of the combined risk of pesticide, anti-biotics and cancer causing growth hormone exposure.

2) Organic Veggies and Fruit – Start with the handy lists of the Clean Fifteen and the Dirty Dozen.  I made a little copy of these lists and carry them in my purse because I could never remember what was on the list.  Basically, some veggies and fruit do not require much or any pesticides and herbicides to grow commercially and therefore are safer to eat. They are called the Clean Fifteen.  Then there is the Dirty Dozen.  This list is composed of fruits and veggies that you should avoid unless they are organic.

Healthier Eating – Beets and Carrots from Garden

Dirty Dozen:

1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Cherry Tomatoes
4. Cucumber
5. Grapes
6. Hot Peppers
7. Nectarines (imported)
8. Peaches
9. Potatoes
10. Spinach
11. Strawberries
12. Sweet Bell Peppers
13. Kale, Collard Greens, Etc.
14. Summer Squash

Clean Fifteen:

1. Asparagus
2. Avocados
3. Cabbage
4. Cantaloupe
5. Sweet Corn
6. Eggplant
7. Grapefruit
8. Kiwi
9. Mangoes
10. Mushrooms
11. Onions
12. Papayas
13. Pineapple
14. Sweet Peas (frozen)
15. Sweet Potatoes

Healthier Eating – Bowl of Carrots

Now What:

Armed with my handy lists of Clean Fifteen and Dirty Dozen, I would shop with these things in mind. It was an adjustment but do-able.  I would watch the sales at my local stores, from The Food Coop to Whole Foods and the stores in between. I subscribe to the sales mailing lists of my favorite stores and make our meal plans based on what is on sale and what is in season.

Stayed Tuned for details on where I shop and how much it costs.