Produce: Sometimes organic is mandatory.

So maybe you're a health pro and you consume 5 fruits/veggies a day, well let's up your game. Do you always consider where these veggies came from? Knowing how they were produced is so important in understanding the nutritional value of your food. Unfortunately to save time and money the use of pesticides with our food has become prevalent. Annually, more than 1.2 billion pounds of pesticides is sprayed/added to U.S. crops (Murray, p. 47).

Pesticides kill pests. What do you think they do to humans? There is a huge consensus out there that pesticides can really damage your health, especially during fetal development (in womb) and in early childhood. So if you are a pregnant mother or a new parent, consider your child if anything (EWG Handout). Also, consider the health of the workers who use the pesticides, and the environmental damage that occurs because of pesticides. All the more reason for you to use your consumer dollar to deny support to this harmful practice, and to protect yourself, humanity and the earth as well.

Aside from the politics, the point of this post is to expose the fruits and veggies that have lots of pesticides. You gotta start somewhere. The Environmental Working Group explains that people who consume 5 fruits and veggies from the Dirty Dozen list on average ingest 10 pesticides a day. Yummy...hmm, not so much. Especially if your body is on overload mode and can't get rid of these toxins properly. People who eat from the 15 least contaminated list consume less than 2 pesticides on a daily basis. What's upsetting is that people think they are doing something good for their health but they are also putting themselves at risk.

Don't risk it and buy organic when you can (even if it's not on the list). Turns out broccoli (which is not on the list) has more than 50 pesticides used on it. I guess it wouldn't make the list when you compare it to the 110 pesticides that are used on apples(Murray, 49). Point is, just be mindful of what you are ingesting. To help get you started, here is the Environmental Working Group's list to consider.

DIRTY DOZEN Buy these ones organic.
From the worst:
1) Celery
2) Peaches
3) Strawberries
4) Apples
5) Blueberries
6) Nectarines
7) Bell Peppers
8) Spinach
9) Cherries
10) Kale/Collard Greens
11) Potatoes
12) Grapes (Imported)

CLEAN 15 Lowest in pesticides.
From the best:
1) Onions
2) Avocado
3) Sweet corn
4) Pineapple
5) Mangos
6) Sweet peas
7) Asparagus
8) Kiwi
9) Cabbage
10) Eggplant
11) Cantaloupe
12) Watermelon
13) Grapefruit
14) Sweet Potato
15) Honeydew melon

As a woman reminded me tonight, if you are going to buy a pair of good shoes do you go to Payless or do you go somewhere else known for more quality? If you will fork out the money for a good pair of shoes for your feet what about your body?

Same goes for food, it may be more expensive but there is a difference between price and value. The price might be lower, but what about the value?

Food, Inc.

Do you like scary movies? Whether you do or don't, Food, Inc. is an astonishing movie that paints the picture of what our food production/processing has become in America--down right scary. This movie impacts anyone who eats in America...(so everybody). Therefore, all people must, must, MUST watch this movie, chances are it will change your life. I know I will never look at a chicken breast the same after learning more about them. Yuck! Let me just recommend that you don't watch the movie after a day of eating lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings and then a dinner consisting of a big chunk of pork schnitzel. Oops. I rarely eat meat, but of course on the day I watched Food, Inc. I indulged twice.

Last year I saw King Corn which is an eye-opener about the overproduction of corn and the abundance of corn hidden in our food and diet. I made lots of changes to my diet after viewing this movie and I didn't think I needed to see Food, Inc. because I knew it shared a similar message. However, I am so glad I saw Food, Inc.! If I had to choose between only seeing one of those films Food, Inc. has a greater impact. The movie provides images of the production of meat and arresting information that really woke me up for good to the disgusting culture our farmers have had to adapt to in order to make it within the meat industry. It also touches on some of the corn issues that are addressed in King Corn. The movie also provides more motivation to join the organic and grass-fed movement. After watching those poor animals and the condition of the food we are eating I have officially vowed to not eat another piece of meat unless it is grass-fed or locally produced. I'm serious about it this time. Now I will call in an order to The Grass Fed Cattle Company when I have a hankering for a chunk of meat. When I want some eggs for breakfast, Farmer's market here I come! Otherwise its abstinence for me.

Moral of the post: Seriously, GO. RENT. IT. NOW. Heck, buy it so that when your future children want to watch something ridiculous from the old times or learn from history, they can see what messed up times their parents lived in. The movie at least gives me hope that each and every day we are getting closer to waking up collectively, I have no doubt one day this nation will finally wake up and realize that we've got it all backwards and we're doing all the wrong things and need to start changing. We're getting there...slowly.

Here is a link to the trailer, (the trailer doesn't do any justice to the movie, the movie is way better, but I wanted to provide some multimedia/visual to get you rolling and reeling like me).

Have you maybe seen Food, Inc. or are already on board with its message and want to do something about it? Go to www.takepart.com/foodinc to learn ways you can make a difference.

Here is a sneak peek list of ten ways you can change our food system:
1) Stop drinking sodas and other sweetened beverages.
2) Eat at home instead of eating out.
3) Support the passage of laws requiring chain restaurants to post calorie information on menus and menu boards.
4) Tell schools to stop selling sodas, junk food, and sports drinks.
5) Meatless Mondays—Go without meat one day a week. (Or more than one day...)
6) Buy organic or sustainable food with little or no pesticides.
7) Protect family farms; visit your local farmer's market.
8) Make a point to know where your food comes from—READ LABELS.
9) Tell Congress that food safety is important to you.
10)Demand job protection for farm workers and food processors, ensuring fair wages and other protections.

Eat out a lot? Make better choices about where you eat. Here is a link to restaurants that are local/organic in the twin cities.

An old, but new fave restaurant: Tao Foods Cafe

My uptown appearances are rare, but when I am there I like to try new things. Today I had the pleasure of spending the midmorning/afternoon hours with my friend Colleen. Beyond catching up with one another which is always wonderful and needed, I have to comment on the little cafe we chose to stop at for lunch. The cafe is called Tao Foods Cafe (part of Tao Natural Foods) check out their website here. They are organic and holistic, and I loved it. The place has been open since the 1970's and has come to be a beautiful and tasty little operation. Apparently they recently added a cafe section to it which is the only part of the store that I visited. (I've spent enough money on supplements/vitamins/herbs lately I didn't even dare to visit the back of the store).

I must say that I tried the Jade Splendor juice blend, which although a steep price ($6.50 for a glass of juice), the combination of apple, pear, parsley and lemon was AMAZING and so refreshing! Well worth it...(So good that I am blogging about it!) Just the pick-me-up I needed and very satisfying.

Which also reminds me that I still have a dream of making my own cookbook, and I need to remember to bind together some thoughts for creating my own Jade Splendor concoction! Thank you Tao Foods Cafe, Jade Splendor and Co for reminding me of one of my life dreams :)

Now...where to start?