A growing number of consumers are choosing organic fruits and vegetables as a way to avoid pesticides and support sustainable farming practices. However, organics are not always accessible or affordable for everyone, leaving consumers wondering how to enjoy the nutritional benefits of produce while limiting exposure to harmful chemicals.

This is where the Environmental Working Group’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce really comes in handy. EWG researchers compile data from pesticide residue tests conducted by USDA and FDA scientists on 28,000 samples of 48 popular fruits and vegetables.

Based on these results, the most contaminated produce makes up EWG’s “Dirty Dozen^TM” list and those with the lowest potential for chemical residue make up the “Clean Fifteen.” By putting this important information in the hands of consumers, we can all minimize our toxic load.

Here are some of the highlights from this year’s guide:

Dirty Dozen Plus:

EWG's ranking uses six measures of pesticide hazards including the number of pesticides detected on a crop and the percent of samples testing positive. The “Plus” produce did not meet the Dirty Dozen criteria but were frequently contaminated with pesticides that are exceptionally toxic to the nervous system.

• Apples
• Celery
• Cherry tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Grapes
• Hot peppers
• Nectarines – imported
• Peaches
• Potatoes
• Spinach
• Strawberries
• Sweet bell peppers
• Kale/collard greens +
• Summer squash +

Clean Fifteen:

• Asparagus
• Avocados
• Cabbage
• Cantaloupe
• Sweet corn
• Eggplant
• Grapefruit
• Kiwi
• Mangos
• Mushrooms
• Onions
• Papayas
• Pineapples
• Sweet peas – frozen
• Sweet potatoes

It’s important to note that residue tests are conducted on produce that has been washed and/or peeled depending on how it is typically eaten. For examples, bananas, avocados and oranges are washed and peeled before testing, but leafy greens or grapes are only washed.

Get the Guide

For more test results and ways to reduce your exposure to pesticide residue, download the full report: EWG’s 2013 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce.

Sources:

Environmental Working Group

Food Marketing Institute

In a perfect world we would all be able to buy whole organic foods and cook all our own meals and snacks. But many of us simply don’t have the time to do that, and finding clean packaged foods can be difficult and time-consuming.

Fortunately for us, the folks at Prevention magazine have done the detective work for us. They scoured store shelves and came up with a list of the 100 Cleanest Packaged Foods.

Making the List

The foods that made the list had to meet the following criteria:

• Must not contain GMO ingredients. (Many carry the “Non-GMO Project Verified Seal)
• Must have no more than 10 grams of added sugar
• Must have less than 200 mg of sodium per serving (or 400 mg for meals)
• All cans must be free of bisphenol-A (BPA)
• All fish must be sustainable, according to Monterey Bay Aquarium seafood criteria
• All foods had to be absolutely delicious

You can browse the list by meal, by food category, and even by special criteria, such as certified organic, gluten-free, high-fiber and diabetes friendly. There’s also a downloadable shopping list so you’re armed and ready for your next grocery run.

Big Names and Niche Finds

You’ll be happy to know that there is something for everyone on the clean list. Here’s a sampling of some products that made the cut:

Breakfast Finds

• Kashi 7 Whole Grain Flakes
• Trader Joe’s Gluten Free Rolled Oats
• Stonyfield Organic Greek Yogurt and Fage Greek Yogurt
• Applegate Organic Bacon

Lunch Foods

• Amy’s Organic Chili
• Trader Joe’s Organic Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup
• Applegate Organic Uncured Beef Hot Dog
• Canyon Bakehouse Gluten-Free Bread

Dinner Delights

• Whole Foods Wild Caught Yellowfin Tuna Burgers
• Organic Prairie Organic Grass-fed Ground Beef
• Applegate Organic Chicken Strips
• Amy’s Light in Sodium Spinach & Tomatoes Pizza

Reap the Benefits

Clean foods are good for you, not only for what’s not in them (too much sugar, saturated fat, sodium, over-processed grains, pesticides, preservatives, artificial colors) but what is in them, including:

• Whole grains and vegetables which provide higher nutrition and fiber
• Slow carbohydrates that provide prolonged energy rather than sugar spikes and crashes
• Lean protein your body needs for muscles, bones, skin and hair
• Fresh, robust, natural flavors and textures

You’ll also see and feel a difference in your body. Many people report that eating clean promotes weight loss, better looking skin and hair, more energy and a better mood.

It may also help reduce your risk of many health problems including heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

Sources:

Prevention

Live Strong

A growing movement in the restaurant industry dubbed farm-to-table dining is an old idea made new again by today’s mounting concerns about where our food comes from and how it was grown. Chefs interested in only the freshest, flavorful, organic produce are putting in gardens next to their restaurants and serving up home-grown fare on their menus. The result--customers are flocking to their doors and raving about the food.

A couple dining at the restaurant/farm, Blue Water Grill, in Grand Rapids Michigan said, "It's a benefit knowing the food you're eating is grown 20 feet from the kitchen without pesticides or artificial fertilizers."

Growing Benefits

The farm-to-table trend has many benefits for your health and the environment, including:

Locally grown – Chefs have more control over what they can offer on the menu when they grow it themselves—like heirloom vegetables versus commercial-grown plants from GMO seeds. Local also means that the vegetables or fruits are allowed to mature and ripen to their peak rather than picked early to allow for packaging and transport from a farm far away. The end result is the fresher, better tasting produce.

Local produce is also better for the environment. Flying or trucking in produce from across the country or around the world burns fossil fuels—a limited resource, and adds to pollution.

Organic – Food grown organically, in naturally rich soil have a higher nutrient content and better flavor. It also typically yields a stronger, more pest- and disease-resistant plant. And of course, you get all these benefits without pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, and other chemical residues.

Flavorful – You can beat the flavor of fresh picked, organic herbs and vegetables. As one chef put it, “A lot of our customers don’t know we grow our own produce, but when they bite into an heirloom tomato that I grew and picked that morning, they’re wowed.”

Greenscapes – in many urban areas, the restaurant gardens are also beautifying neighborhoods by providing green spaces in otherwise barren concrete landscapes.

The garden also makes a nice view from the restaurant's windows and patios. One guest gushed about their favorite restaurant garden, "The scene, the beautiful colors when everything is ripe, and the way the gardens are laid out — the beauty of how they've done it."

Plants also produce oxygen and clean the air which is good for all of us.

Higher Nutrition – Many of the above factors contribute to better nutrition:

• Locally grown often means higher nutritional value as some foods lose nutrient content in transit.
• Organic foods grown in naturally fertile soil using sustainable growing techniques produce higher vitamin and mineral content.

These benefits focus only on produce, but when you consider that some restaurants are also raising or sourcing local organic meats and poultry, the positive impact of farm-to-table dining is even greater.

The shift — both in public interest in locally grown foods and in restaurant owners growing their own — is “in a way, getting back to the right way of doing things,” said chef/restaurateur Magdiale Wolmark of Dragonfly Neo-V.

“The proliferation of processed foods in the past few decades has really been a glitch. It’s not healthy, and it’s not good for the environment. Now, we’re all getting back to a sense of normalcy.”

In Your Backyard

The farm-fresh restaurant trend is fairly wide-spread in urban and rural communities so there’s probably one near you. But if not, why not try a little organic gardening yourself. We have some tips to get started with Grow Your Own Organic Antioxidants.

Sources:

New Hope 360

The Columbus Dispatch

NBCNews Today

In 1990 The Organic Foods Production Act gave the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) the authority to require periodic residue testing in organic production. However, an audit by the USDA Office of Inspector General in 2010 that visited four certifying agents revealed that none conducted this testing.

In response, a new USDA requirement that goes in effect January 1, 2013 will require that certifying agencies test for non-organic residue in samples from at least 5% of the organic farms and processors they certify.

This will create a minimum level of testing where none existed before.

The new requirement lets the certifying agencies decide what types of samples (pre-harvest, post-harvest, or finished product) will be tested to determine if pesticide residue, arsenic or other chemicals, genetic engineering, synthetic hormones, antibiotics or other banned substances in organic production are present. The tests, estimated to cost $500 each, would be paid for by the certifying organizations, not their clients.

Before this rule was adopted, the USDA had considered a 25% minimum testing requirement. Following a public comment period on the proposed rule, the USDA settled for a 5% minimum.

“This level was chosen to ensure that all certifying agents, regardless of the number of operations they certify, are responsible for some level of regular residue testing at reasonable cost,” USDA wrote in its Federal Register notice announcing the rule.

Sources:

Whole Foods Magazine

Delta Farm Press

We’ve covered many aspects of ridding your home of toxic chemicals that may be lurking in everything from household cleaners to cosmetics. But we haven’t yet tackled the kitchen, until now. Considering that the foods we prepare and store end up in our bodies, the kitchen is ripe with “greening” potential.

Just follow these five tips:

1. Select fresh, whole foods low in chemicals and additives.

From the farm to the market, foods can become contaminated with substances you don’t want to ingest. To cut your family’s risk, buy local, organic produce and meats whenever you can. Doing so will limit your exposure pesticides, antibiotics and hormones and save energy.

If you’re on a budget and can’t always choose organic, use EWG’s guides to shopping for produce: “The Dirty Dozen” lists the produce that contains the most pesticides and worth the extra dollars spent for organic. On the other hand, it’s OK to buy conventionally grown fruits and veggies on the “Clean Fifteen” as they tend to have fewer pesticides.

Choosing fresh foods over canned or frozen is another way to cut down on chemicals, reduce waste in landfills and save energy. Food packaging can leach harmful chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA) into foods. BPA is used in the linings of canned foods and some plastic containers. Go with glass or paper packaging if you purchase processed foods. Both are recyclable and sustainable. When plastic containers just can’t be avoided, consider recycling them.

2. Use non-toxic cookware and utensils.

Use stainless steel, cast iron, ceramic or oven-safe glass cookware and utensils. Avoid non-stick cookware as it can release harmful gasses if exposed to high heat.

3. Serve, store and reheat safely.

Avoid plastic dishes and cups, especially for hot items and make sure dishes are lead free by purchasing a test kit from your local hardware store. Store leftovers—especially warm foods—in glass containers. Avoid plastic containers altogether if possible.

When reheating foods in the microwave, use only microwave safe glass or ceramic containers.

4. Skip disposables.

Avoid one-use plastic plates and containers whenever possible. Chemicals in plastics can leach into warm foods and unless recycled, these items accumulate in landfills.

5. Recycle and compost.

If you follow the suggestions above, you will significantly reduce the amount of garbage produced in the kitchen and what is left—paper and glass—is recyclable. Composting is another way to reduce waste in our landfills and provide chemical-free fertilizer for your lawn or garden.

With the holiday season upon us, you might want to try some of these ideas for Greening up your Holidays.

Source:

Environmental Working Group

There’s no doubt that Americans love hot dogs. During peak hot dog season, Memorial Day to Labor Day, we typically consume 7 billion hot dogs or 818 hot dogs every second.

But hot dogs have a bad reputation, (not without merit) for being unhealthy. While it’s true that many hot dogs are made with low quality meat, fillers and chemicals including nitrates, there are a growing number of healthier options.

Today there are hot dogs made from premium cuts of beef, alternative meats like turkey and chicken, as well as organic and vegan options. How you dress your hot dog can also improve the nutritional value of this American classic.

What to Look For

Scan the Ingredients List and Nutrition Facts. Ideally a hot dog should be made of premium cuts of meat and/or poultry. Watch out for meat/poultry ingredients described as “mechanically separated” or “variety meats” which are terms for lower quality meat trimmings.

Choose organic hot dogs if you can find them. They are made from organically raised animals, not treated with antibiotics or hormones. Plus they skip the nitrites and nitrates.

Other than a meat or vegan protein source, you should see spices like garlic and paprika and no fillers or chemicals on the ingredients list.

A healthier hot dog will have less than 150 calories and 14 grams of fat (with no more that 6 grams of saturated fat) and no more than 450 milligrams of sodium per serving.

Cured vs. Uncured

We couldn’t talk about hot dogs without touching on the subject of preservatives used in curing. Traditionally, sodium nitrite/nitrate is added to cure products like hot dogs, bacon and ham to prevent spoilage. It also gives cured meats a pink color and distinctive flavor.

Unfortunately studies have linked high consumption of processed meats containing nitrates to cancer. When cooked, especially at high temperatures such as boiling or grilling, nitrites can combine with amines in meat to form nitrosamines which are considered carcinogens.

You can reduce the formation of nitrosamines, by cooking meat at 350 degrees or less. Antioxidants like Vitamin C and E also reduce the formation of nitrosamines and are often added to cured products.

Still, some argue that cured meats contain relatively low nitrite levels. According to the American Meat Institute, nearly 93% of the nitrites that we ingest on a daily basis are derived from vegetables and water. Less than 5% come from cured meats.

An alternative to sodium nitrate are natural nitrates, derived from vegetables, typically celery powder. The FDA requires that naturally cured products are labeled “uncured” as only meats with synthetic sodium nitrite are considered “cured.”

Dressing Your Dog

What you put on or under your hot dog can also make or break a healthy meal.

• A refined white bun delivers a shot of simple carbohydrates and no fiber. Opt instead for a more nutritious whole wheat bun and avoid the insulin spike.
• Go light on the ketchup, mustard and relish. A tablespoon of each can add about 500 mg of added sodium. You can reduce your sodium intake by half by using two tablespoons of sauerkraut instead.
• Top your dog with fresh tomato, onions, peppers, avocado or lettuce. They are naturally lower in sodium and provide vitamin C, lycopene and fiber. Avocado adds heart healthy fat.
• Skip the cheese and save about 90 calories, 4 grams of saturated fat and over 500 grams of sodium.

Have a healthy, happy and safe 4th of July!

Sources:

National Hot Dog & Sausage Council

American Meat Institute

Eating Well

In our recent, cautionary Fooled By Food Labels feature, we warned you about all the weasel-words "Big Food" manufacturers use intentionally to obfuscate the nutritional value of the products they sell, like natural, healthy, calorie counts and lightly sweetened.

Using those words creates a halo effect, a phenomena in which a descriptor, like 0 grams of trans fats, creates the false impression there are no trans fats to be found in that package of cookies you bought at the grocery store, although federal regs allow manufacturers to label food products that way even if they contain a half-gram or less.

Unfortunately, that halo effect/Jedi mind trick also applies to foods marked with organic labels, based on a double-blind, controlled trial conducted by a Cornell University grad student who asked 144 mall shoppers to select which groups of potato chips, plain yogurt and cookies were organic or conventionally produced, then to rate each food according to 10 attributes (among them cost, taste and fat content).

No surprise, participants preferred food products marked as organic in terms of taste characteristics and nutritional value (fat, fiber and caloric content), necessitating a higher price, than those marked as regular. The kicker: All food samples used in the study were organic.

By the way, just because a food comes with an organic label -- meaning healthier ingredients and few if any pesticides -- doesn't imply that it's not fattening.

Even organic Oreos have to be eaten in moderation, no matter what…

Sources:

ScienceDaily April 11, 2011

healthfinder.gov April 10, 2011

Los Angeles Times/Booster Shots April 10, 2011

What could possibly be WORSE than those reusable grocery bags you bought to save trees possibly being infected with E.coli bacteria? Think lead, sitting at number 82 on the Periodic Table, that has contaminated a lot of jewelry and cosmetics marketed for kids.

Current U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission rules on kids products allow 300 parts per million (ppm) of lead. That number will drop next summer to 90 ppm. Also, to the good, packaging regulations in 19 states already regulate lead. Unfortunately, Florida has no laws on the books governing lead in packaging at the moment, save for conflicting federal rules, hence the problem.

According to independent testing funded by The Tampa Tribune, some of these otherwise cute and benign reusable grocery bags sold by local grocers (Winn Dixie, Publix) exceeded the 100 ppm limit. The amount of lead contained in bags sold by national retailers (Target, Walmart), however, was incremental, not exceeding 5.5 ppm. The possible difference-maker: Bags with more designs or artwork covering them contained the highest amounts of lead. Conversely, bags with few illustrations had little lead.

A suggestion: Check with the local grocers in your neighborhood -- especially if you're making deliberate decisions to buy as many organic, pesticide-free foods as you can -- about the potential lead content in those reusable bags.

Your health will thank you for it.

The Tampa Tribune November 14, 2010

USA Today November 14, 2010

A British review of 162 studies (spanning a half-century) came to the conclusion a year ago that there was no evidence of any nutritional differences between organic whole foods and conventionally grown ones. The review spurred much debate in the scientific world and left a great many health-conscious shoppers wondering if the organic versus conventional argument was even relevant.

At the time, we pointed out that the British review never took into account how conventional whole foods may or may not be affected by their exposure to pesticides, leaving great room for doubt. Our skepticism was more than justified, based on this recent study comparing three varieties of commercial strawberries grown in California on 13 organic and 13 conventional fields for nutritional value, taste and quality as well as soil DNA and biological and chemical soil properties over two years.

Long story short, organic strawberries and the fields in which they were grown were equal to or better than conventionally grown fruits and fields in almost every way. For example, on the fruit side, organic strawberries lasted a half-day longer than conventional strawberries, a surprise to some experts who assumed chemically treated conventional varieties would repel mold longer. Organic berries contained greater concentrations of ascorbic acid and phenolic compounds and higher antioxidant activity. And, they tasted better too.

The organic soils in which those strawberries grew were also superior to conventional fields in key biological and chemical properties, including micronutrients, enzymes, nitrogen and microbial biomass, and possessed a greater number of genes and more genetic diversity. (Watch a video about this study with lead researcher Dr. John Reganold, a soil scientist at Washington State University University.)

Maybe, it's time to take the Environmental Working Group's latest lists of the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 fruits and vegetables with you next time to the grocery store…

PLoS One September 1, 2010 Free Full Text Study

PhysORG.com September 1, 2010

The Seattle Times September 2, 2010

Because we talk a lot of about lifestyle changes lowering your odds of cancer and how hard some of them may be to make, you may be surprised how little it takes to lower your risks of type 2 diabetes, according to this British review of six studies encompassing some 220,000 patients.

Eating just an extra 1.5 servings of green, leafy vegetables lessens one's chances of type 2 diabetes by 14 percent. Making this one lifestyle change wouldn't be hard to do, but you could argue the payoff isn't that huge either. Unless, of course, you consider the estimated 2.6 million lives that were lost worldwide in 2000 merely because people didn't eat enough fruits and vegetables.

The importance of green, leafy vegetables in the prevention of serious disease has to do with its antioxidant content, scientists say, like spinach with its high magnesium content.

The one caveat worth remembering, if you decide to incorporate more green, leafy veggies into your daily diet: Lettuce, spinach, kale, collard greens and celery reside at or near the bottom of the Environmental Working Group's 2010 list of whole foods containing the most pesticides, which is why you should be looking for locally grown and organic foods as often as possible.

British Medical Journal August 19, 2010 Free Full Text Study

insciences.org August 20, 2010

You may recall a recent study I posted in this space that should've eliminated any doubts about the health value of consuming organic foods in large quantities. Just because X food has an organic label -- thanks, in part, to the use of organic pesticides -- doesn't mean you should eat more of it than one formulated from conventional sources and grown with conventional pesticides.

The same analogy may also, unfortunately, be true about the environmental impact associated with using greater amounts of organic pesticides over conventional ones, according to a new study.

Scientists compared the environmental impact of six different pesticides, including two organic formulations, at five different sites over two years to control the spread of soybean aphids and observed how well each pesticide affected the health of flower bugs and ladybugs (both predators of aphids).

Out of all the pesticides tested, an organic, mineral oil solution had the greatest impact, necessitating higher amounts be sprayed on plants to smother aphids. Also, the "less harmful" mineral oil and fungal pesticides killed more of the natural predators that got rid of aphids. To do what's best for the environment, "It's important to look at every compound and make a selection based on the environmental impact quotient, rather than if it's simply natural or synthetic," scientists say.

PLoS One June 22, 2010 Free Full Text Study

ScienceDaily June 23, 2010

A future proving ground for research in angiogenesis -- a natural process that governs the delicate balance of blood vessel formation throughout the human body -- and, subsequently, the spread of many chronic diseases, not to mention cancer, will soon be bearing fruits, herbs and vegetables on a farm 25 miles west of Milwaukee.

The goal of the NuGenesis Farm in neighboring Delafield, Wis.: Growing foods with the strongest disease-preventing properties in an organic setting, then testing their impact on human health. Interestingly, the estimated $3 million project, including classrooms and a kitchen, already has one very high-profile donor: Regional health care provider ProHealth Care has already donated 37 acres for the project and plans to lend their medical expertise and buy the whole foods grown at NuGenesis for their hospital in Waukesha.

The real push for NuGenesis has come from Kathy Bero, a driven mother of two who believes eating the best anti-cancer foods in tandem with conventional medical treatments has helped her survive three separate bouts of cancer, including two with breast cancer. Despite some pushback from the medical community, Bero reminded the Journal-Sentinel that support remains strong. "We know this is a need. We know this is an area that's not being fulfilled. Doctors aren’t necessarily comfortable with it, but people are starved for information about this."

After reading about the NuGenesis Farm project, you'll want to take a few minutes to learn more about angiogenesis by watching Dr. William Li's presentation at the recent TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference in Long Beach, Calif.

Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel June 6, 2010

The Angiogenesis Foundation

For all the arguing about what's better for your health -- organic vs. conventional foods -- calorie counts and fat content often seem to be left out of the discussion or ignored. Perhaps they shouldn't, according to a pair of studies about the health misperceptions people have about conventional and organic foods.

Nutritional labels tell us how much fat, salt, sugar and other components go into the making, for example, of the average Oreo cookie. The problem lies, however, when said cookie is labeled as an ORGANIC food. In one study, 114 students read nutrition labels for two sets of Oreos, describing them either as Oreo cookies or Oreo cookies made with organic flour and sugar, then were asked which kind had more or fewer calories in comparison to other brands and if said cookies should be eaten less often or more than others.

Even though I'd prefer to blame their responses on sleep deprivation than a lack of critical thinking skills, more students believed organic Oreos had fewer calories and could be consumed more often than the conventional kind. And, in a second survey about food choices, patients were more forgiving of a female, wanting to lose weight but skipping her after-dinner run, after eating an organic dessert over a generic one.

Organic foods, particularly whole foods, contain fewer pesticides and, generally, healthier ingredients. But those two variables alone don't make them any less fatty than conventional foods. When in doubt, portion sizes DO matter.

LiveScience June 17, 2010

There weren't many changes in the Environmental Working Group's (EWG) 2010 lists of the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 fruits and vegetables from last year (download the newest wallet-sized list). You could make a very convincing argument, however, that expanding both to 18 or 20 would've captured most of the foods listed for the past two years.

EWG issues these lists every spring, based on the amount of pesticides contained in vegetables and fruits, to a great deal of media hoopla, and deservedly so. This non-profit watchdog has made it very easy to clip these lists to your weekly grocery lists, or in our case to download both as a free iPhone app (the 2010 lists aren't yet available as an app), to safeguard your health.

For the record, lettuce, carrots and pears were replaced on the Dirty Dozen list with potatoes, blueberries (domestically grown) and spinach. On the Clean 15 list, honeydew melons, grapefruit and cantaloupes replaced papayas, tomatoes and broccoli.

But, if you take a look at the entire list of 49 fruits and vegetables, you'll see that adding six more to both the dirty and clean lists would've included all but one from last year's groups. Yes, we're splitting hairs a tiny bit, but not the inherent value of these lists, which should be a HUGE wake-up call for you to seek out locally grown and organic foods as often as you can. And, be especially careful to avoid the dirty foods that may infiltrate your grocery store too.

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Yahoo Green April 28, 2010

One of the best ways to improve the health of your family is also one of the easiest things you can do: Buy organically grown foods as often as you can find and afford them. That said, you may get some arguments from "experts" on the airwaves who have cited a recent British study that concluded there was no nutritional difference between more costly organic and conventionally grown foods.

When a friend or family member tells you how costly organic foods are in comparison to their perceived health value, however, remind them the study in question didn't measure the toxic load of pesticides contained in conventionally grown foods which can be considerable, according to a report from The Organic Center.

A great source for affordable and healthy whole foods is your neighborhood farmer's market. If you don't know where to find them in your area, you'll want to check out our recent story on farmers markets.

And, if you need any more convincing about the true value of organic foods to your health, watch this interesting video based on research by the Environmental Working Group to help you avoid the "Dirty Dozen" foods.