To Buy or Not to Buy Organic: Know the Dirty Dozen




It happens all the time. I'm at the farmers market, scooping up the locally grown fruits and vegetables that were harvested that very morning. And it hits me- the Strawberry Crisis. Should I buy two boxes of strawberries for $5 or go organic and pay the same amount for one box?

I panic for a few seconds. Is it really worth it? All food is basically safe, right? Do I really need to spend a premium for organic strawberries?
The answer pops right out -even with my memory. When it comes to strawberries, either grow 'em yourself in a toxin-free way or buy organic.
That's because conventionally grown strawberries carry pesticides the way doughnuts carry sugar. Through no fault of its own, it's on the EWG's Dirty Dozen list. Not a good thing. No wonder the strawberry is red in the face.
The Dirty Dozen list-fruits and vegetables heavy in pesticides- is the brainchild of the Environmental Working Group. The EWG is a reliable research and advocacy group that "uses the power of information to protect public health and environment."

If, for instance, you want to know if your brand of lipstick is toxic, or your sunscreen has carcinogens in it, you can go to EWG's well-organized website and do a little research.

I went there recently, to research this column, and when I saw the headline, "Worst Farm Bill Ever," I began to feel sick. But I carried on, because besides giving you their Dirty Dozen list, I also want to pass along the much more cheerful Clean 15 list, and I haven't memorized it yet.

ENERGY EXPRESS-O!
Watermelon-it's a good fruit. ?You eat, you drink, ?you wash your face.
-Enrico Caruso


THE DIRTY DOZEN. To take best care of yourself, buy the organic version of the vegetables and fruits on the EWG's Dirty Dozen. Will it cost more? Usually, yes. But so does medical care. Pesticides, over time, poison you and gunk up your body systems. Once you're on the path to a healthier lifestyle, you just naturally want to feed your body the cleanest, most real food you can.

So push out the envelope, and buy these organic: apples, celery, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, grapes, hot peppers, nectarines (imported), peaches, spinach, strawberries, sweet bell peppers, kale/collard greens and summer squash.

Careful readers may notice that the EWG has listed 14 foods in its Dirty Dozen. The two add-ons are domestically grown summer squash (zucchini is one kind) and leafy greens, specifically kale and collards.

Why the add-ons? For the second year in a row, the EWG is calling special attention to these crops because they are " commonly contaminated with pesticides exceptionally toxic to the nervous system." And they're out there being sold. And that's legal?

THE CLEAN 15. Some people like to buy everything organic, just to be cautious and because they're supporting a whole system that believes in sustainable agriculture, conscious farming and the labeling of GMOs. But according to the EWG, these are the fruits and vegetables that don't need to be bought organic: asparagus (surprise!), avocados, cabbage, cantaloupe, sweet corn, eggplant, grapefruit, kiwi, mangos, mushroom, onions, papaya, pineapple, sweet peas (frozen) and sweet potatoes.
And one more thing to mention about pesticides, pro and con. For kids, there's no pro-it's all con. Pesticides commonly found in conventional fruits and vegetables are not good for kids, according to Dr. Chensheng (Alex) Lu, who's featured in a two-minute video posted on the EWG site.
Lu, associate professor of environmental exposure biology at the Harvard School of Public Health, and his associates worked with kids who ate conventional fruits and veggies. They found alarming amounts of pesticides in their urine. Infants and kids are much more vulnerable than adults when it comes to pesticides, says Lu. Their brains and bodies are still developing, and they don't have the detoxifying systems that adults have.

Here's the good news: Lu reports that after just five days of eating organic fruits and vegetables, most pesticides disappeared from the kids' urine samples. In just five days. When they went back to eating conventional stuff, their pesticide levels shot back up.

And that's what I remember when ?my strawberry crisis kicks in: ?Pay now, or pay later.

 


Marilynn Preston-fitness expert, well-being coach and speaker on healthy lifestyle issues-is the creator of Energy Express, the longest-running syndicated fitness column in the country. She has a website, marilynnpreston.com and welcomes reader questions, which can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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