One of the many things we talk about in my Hypnobabies childbirth class in eating healthy during pregnancy. There are many things to consider when making food choices and among that list is choosing organic vs non-organic foods. Some of the reasons we would choose to eat organic foods include:
-Avoid hormones, antibiotics and drugs in animal products
-Avoid GMO
-Enjoy better taste
-Benefit from more nutrients
-Avoid chemicals
-Better for the environment
Now let’s be honest for a moment; organic foods usually cost more than their non-organic counterparts. So if we are living on a budget, what do we do and where do we start. Well the Environmental Working Group has published a list of foods for 2014 called the “Dirty Dozen” and the “Clean 15” or produce with the MOST and LEAST pesticide residue, respectively. This is a handy guide when shopping so you can see where to spend the money on the organic produce and where you can save a little green.
As you can see, the foods on the Dirty Dozen are all foods where you would eat the skin. Unless you are like Emma (on Glee) you are probably not going to clean each grape so just choose the grapes that don’t need to be cleaned in the first place. A bath in some good clean water is always a good thing but there should be no need to wash your organic produce with more harsh chemicals. When you look at the Clean 15 list, you can also see that the produce on that list either grows underground or we just don’t eat the skin. This makes it harder for any toxins to get the the parts we eat therefore making it a healthy option. This is a great card to print out and keep it in your wallet so you will always know you are making the best choices for you and your family’s health!
Yours in health,
Stephanie
