The Dirty Dozen

Buying organic can get really pricey. So I think it is important to spend it where it counts. The fertilizers and pesticides that are used in some conventional produce can be harmful to ingest and cannot be washed off because they are often absorbed into the food. The EWG (Environmental Working Group) suggest that the following be bought organic every time.
peaches

apples

bell peppers

celery

nectarines

strawberries

cherries

pears

imported grapes

spinach

lettuce

potatoes

Of coarse it is the stuff we eat most often so, as always, apply where you can.
Good news though onions, avocado, frozen sweet corn, pineapples, mango, asparagus, frozen sweet peas, kiwi, bananas, cabbage, broccoli and papaya are the "cleanest". So they are fine to buy conventional if you have to choose.

The Name Game

Before I have you all fooled that I am so clever, I may as well let you in on where the name if my blog came from. Meet this gal.

Her name is Sara Snow and she has a show on Fit TV called.......Get Fresh with Sara Snow. This is where I get most of my info and where I will be getting most all of my content for this blog. So I copied her title, sue me, but I do it to give props to where I get my info. If you have Fit TV I suggest you tune in. (or maybe not because my blog will be useless to you then)She has good info and it is generally easy to understand. She talks alot about organics and green living. Some of it is a bit extreme for me at this time but I apply it where I can.

What the heck does all this mean

To be organic produce it must:

Be grown in a field
Free of synthetic pesticides or fertilizers (synthetic pretty much means chemicals and not so great for the body)
And have been following these guidelines for at least 3 years


Organic meat, eggs and dairy means

Animals cannot be fed antibiotics or growth hormones
and fed an all organic diet


When it comes to your packaged products, here is a breakdown of the termanology.

"USDA 100% Organic"Means just that. Everything used in this product is organic.
"USDA Organic"
Means at least 95%of the ingredients are organic.
"USDA Made With Organic Ingredients"Means at least 70% of the ingredients are organic.

When something says all natural it means:

No added artificial coloring
No artificial ingredients
Minimal processing