| Grocery prices are rising. Every time you take a trip | | | | sweet potatoes, and cauliflower are on my list of "ok |
| to the grocery store, you pay more for less. You | | | | safe." "Ok safe" is not really "safer" food, but not |
| have to economize but at what cost? You don't | | | | really harmful, either. |
| want to compromise healthy eating. You want to | | | | The fruits and vegetables that should be organic are |
| buy the very best food for your family. The U.S. | | | | "the dirty dozen" as labeled by the Environmental |
| Department of Agriculture has mandated that no | | | | Working Group, which is composed of doctors, |
| organic food can contain added hormones, antibiotics, | | | | engineers, and scientists. |
| synthetic pesticides, irradiated components, | | | | "The dirty dozen" are peaches, apples, sweet bell |
| genetically modified organisms, or reprocessed | | | | peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, |
| sewage. Traditionally grown food has no such | | | | lettuce, imported grapes, pears, spinach, and |
| mandate. Most of the food sold in grocery stores is | | | | potatoes. Whenever possible buy organic for these |
| traditionally grown food that is grown or produced | | | | foods. |
| with toxic pesticides, toxic fertilizers, herbicides, | | | | To better afford organics put strategic shopping to |
| added hormones and antibiotics. Study after study | | | | work. Buy store brand organics. Stock up during sales. |
| has shown residues of these additives are harmful to | | | | For sweet bell peppers, buy in quantity when on sale. |
| health, especially children's health. Malignancies in | | | | Wash, core, and freeze for later use. Change the |
| children linked to pesticides include leukemia, | | | | way you buy. Purchase the large container of organic |
| non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and cancers of the brain. | | | | apple juice instead of traditional apple juice boxes. It's |
| Because of the added expense incurred by growing | | | | not only healthier but it's cheaper than the boxes. |
| organic food the natural way without harmful | | | | Bagged lettuce is the choice of shoppers today. Buy |
| additives, organic food usually costs more than | | | | one regular bag and one organic bag and mix them. |
| traditionally grown food. How can you afford to buy | | | | You will eliminate half of the pesticides in a serving. |
| organic food with all its benefits when you're on a | | | | Frequent your local farm markets. Local farmers use |
| limited budget? The answer is strategic shopping. | | | | less pesticides and fertilizers than large agricultural |
| Strategic shopping is knowing when to buy organic | | | | concerns. Just make sure the produce at the farm |
| and when to buy traditional. There are traditionally | | | | market is local. I've been at farm markets where |
| grown fruits and vegetables that absorb only traces | | | | some of the produce is from Mexico, Honduras, or |
| of toxic additives, not enough to be harmful. I call | | | | wherever. That's not a local farm market. |
| them "safer" foods. The "safer" fruits and vegetables | | | | These are only a few of the steps you can take to |
| are onions, avocado, sweet corn, pineapples, sweet | | | | protect the health of your family during a time of |
| peas, bananas, cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, | | | | spiraling food costs. Become creative. Become a |
| eggplant, blueberries, and watermelon. Tomatoes, | | | | strategic shopper for health. |