Inside The Oven: Produce to always buy organic. Week Links: Higher IQ in childhood linked to being a vegetarian adult, a vegan bodybuilder, neither rain, nor sleet, nor rising food prices keep some from buying organic.
Mind out the gutter. I thought it would be a good chance to give a brief on organic produce. These days, you might hear a lot about organic items, and for good reason. Some studies have suggested a link between pesticides on conventional produce to a variety of ailments, causing more harm to pregnant women, young children, and those with compromised immune systems.
The Environmental Working Group is a not-for-profit research organization which studies public health and environmental issues. Based on the results of over 43,000 pesticide test studies on produce from 2000-2005 by the US Department of Agriculture and the US Food and Drug Administration, EWG developed a ranked list of the most heavily laden pesticide produce and items that should always be bought organic if available.
The price of organic food can sometimes be costly, so it’s good to know the very worst and what you can get by with if necessary. And certain organic produce isn’t always available at all times of the year. I had the hardest time finding organic red bell peppers for several months. When I finally got my hands on them, I bought several pounds, sliced them, and froze them for later use. Running warm to hot water over them for a few seconds restored their beautiful pre-frozen state (not to mention the wonderful aroma given off by the thawing process).
All produce, organic or not, should always be rinsed thoroughly with water and maybe a vegetable rinse like, Fit. I personally have never used a vegetable rinse, but that doesn’t mean I won’t try one in the future. For produce that I want to get extra clean or with visible dirt, I spray 5% acidity white vinegar (aka Heinz vinegar or your local grocery generic version) additionally, after the first rinse and then rinse again. Speaking of 5% acidity vinegar and generics, I’ve noticed that sometimes at the grocery, generic brands of vinegar say 4% acidity. Is this a significant enough difference to perform less better in all the zillions of ways vinegar performs according to Ms. Heloise? (I use it for cleaning, laundry, among other things). If anyone knows, please comment. Produce was ranked from 1 to 45, with 1 being the worst (greatest amount of pesticides) and 45 being the best (least amount of pesticides) And so I present the ranked list with a twist:
Rated R: These are what some have called the “Dirty Dozen.” Conventional varieties are so laden with pesticides (and therefore, absolutely reprehensive) that Tipper Gore would forget about Prince’s Darling Nikki, and instead lobby congress for strong warnings on celery versus CDs.
- Peaches
- Apples
- Sweet Bell Peppers
- Celery
- Nectarines
- Strawberries
- Cherries
- Lettuce
- Grapes-Imported
- Pears
- Spinach
- Potatoes Learn which fruits and vegetables are rated PG-13, and PG after the break… (more…)
