After my brief stint of insanity earlier this week, I’m ready to move on. Back to food and health — apparently the only topic I’m comfortable with these days…
You might have already heard, but the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has recently released the EWG’s 2011 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™. Have you seen this list? My god… If you haven’t, you must check it out. Click here. Now. First, check out the Dirty Dozen™. Next, read up on the Clean 15™.
Have you read the Dirty Dozen™ yet? I’m sorry, but that list is frightening. My family consumes #1 offender on the list all the time! The apple. It was my low-cal, filling food for much of my weight-loss endeavor. And now I find out I was poisoning myself with pesticides?! Yikes.
Scroll down to #5 on the list — SPINACH?! A vegetable we eat in my household at least four times per week. Oh, EWG, you’re killing me! Oh wait, no, that’s the pesticides…
I’m 99% positive that I’ve mentioned this to you before — the movie Food, Inc. Go see it if you haven’t already. If you haven’t seen it yet, what I talk about next may be a spoiler. But since it’s not really a drama flick, per se, I think I’m safe to spoil it just a little bit.
The EWG points out in the Executive Summary that:
Commodity crop corn used for animal feed and biofuels is almost all produced with genetically modified (GMO) seeds, as is some sweet corn sold for human consumption. Since GMO sweet corn is not labeled as such in US stores, EWG advises those who have concerns about GMOs to buy organic sweet corn. (http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary/)
This was something the movie Food, Inc. definitely focused a lot of attention on throughout the film. If you’re concerned about GMOs (and you should be), focus on not only organic sweet corn as your produce, but also grass fed beef and free range poultry. It is also important to note that buying locally oftentimes leads to better, fresher, more natural meat, dairy and produce. Plus when you buy locally, you’re supporting local farmers. Win-win.
The moral of the story here, folks, is to eat your fruits and vegetables. But check the list, buy organic for the items that count, and always, always wash your fruits and veggies.
What’s the best way to avoid pesticides on your produce?
Grow them in your own garden.
