Before I get started with how to save money and live natural, I want to start with some info. about natural choices that are important to me. (And some of the things to avoid).
My mother has always told me to "do the best you can". So I uphold that same philosophy today when I try to give my family a healthy diet. I can't afford to buy everything organic, but I can do the best I can. Trying to give my family "whole foods" is something I am working on and I feel a good place to start is with fruits and veggies.
But which ones to choose? A ranking of fruits and vegetables was "developed by Environmental Working Group (EWG), based on the results of nearly 43,000 tests for pesticides on produce by the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration between 2000 and 2004. EWG's computer analysis found that consumers could cut their pesticide exposure by almost 90 percent by avoiding the most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the least contaminated instead." (info. from http://www.ewg.org/)
The Dirty Dozen (the ones to always try and buy organic) are:
1. Apples
2. Cherries
3. Grapes, imported (Chili)
4. Nectarines
5. Peaches
6. Pears
7. Raspberries
8. Strawberries
9. Bell peppers
10. Celery
11. Potatoes
12. Spinach
For the full list of 43 fruits and veggies go to: http://www.foodnews.org/
So I am going to try and buy those fruits and vegetables organically or through farmer's markets and when I can't find them fresh I'll look for organic frozens or other tasty fruit that is in season. I am looking forward to spring and the return of those farmer's markets!!!
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This is a great tip! Thanks for the link. I am also looking forward to the farmer's market. I think buying locally is just as valuable as buying organic, and often it's easier to find a variety of organic foods at the farmer's market than it is at the grocery store. In our town, I've had a hard time finding the variety that I'd like to see in organic fruits and vegetables
We have the goal this year of canning or freezing more foods that we can get at the farmer's market...I've never managed to do much of this before without my parents' help, but it's a good goal.
I recommend essays and books by Michael Pollan. His arguments about eating well, for your own good and for the greater good, are really compelling. He urges us to read labels and not to eat anything with ingredients that our grandmothers wouldn't recognize. He also advocates eating less meat, eating according to what is in season, and eating locally. He gives a great history of the role of corn in Americans' diets-- and it is quite shocking, once you start reading labels, how much corn syrup and other corn-based products are in processed foods. I love corn as much as any midwestern girl, but I think it's best to eat it on-the-cob, rather than in-the-juice. :)
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