I have an interesting assignment for you. Grab your significant other, best pal, or some random hottie crossing your path and pull him or her aside. Tell ‘em, seductively, that you need to discuss the “dirty dozen” with them. I guarantee they’ll be so intrigued that by the time they realize you’re talkin’ organic produce, they’ll be too engaged to care. Just a little cranky tip for you ;P So, onwards…

The Environmental Working Group has published a new list of the “Dirty Dozen” fruits and vegetables with the highest concentration of pesticide residue (see here for a handy PDF).

There are significant changes from their last published list! The EWG recommends eating a plentiful variety of fruits and veggies and buying the following 12 listed items organic as much as your budget allows.

The Dirty Dozen (2010; listed in highest concentration to lowest)

1. Celery (up from #4)
2. Peaches (down from #1)
3. Strawberries (up from #6)
4. Apples (down from #2)
5. Blueberries (new to the list)
6. Nectarines
7. Bell peppers
8. Spinach (new to the list)
9. Kale
10. Cherries
11. Potatoes
12. Grapes (Imported)

The Daily Green adds:

1. Leafy Greens
2. Carrots
3. Pears
4. Tomatoes

The Clean 15 (Lowest in Pesticides; #1 = Least contamination)

1. Onions
2. Avocados
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

Per the EWG, consumers can reduce their pesticide exposure by 80% if they eat the cleanest produce (not sure if that means literally the cleanest –onions– or from one of the 15 cleanest).

The Green Daily notes the following great point: “The dirty dozen list only reflects measurable pesticide residues on the parts of the foods normally consumed (i.e. after being washed and peeled).” Also, “this dirty dozen list provides no information about antibiotics or hormones, or about the impact of producing food on the surrounding environment.” For these reasons, the Green Daily also recommends that if you eat meat, you eat organic meat for the following reasons:

“For overall environmental impact, meat is the king of foods, even if it’s not likely to be laced with pesticide residue… though a recent USDA Inspector General report [see here] found that the government is failing to even test meat for the harmful chemicals the law requires. While beef muscle is typically clean, beef fat is a different story altogether, with 10 different pesticides having been identified. Pork meat can be contaminated, but pork fat is more contaminated, with as many as 8 pesticides. For chicken, the thigh is most contaminated.”

I’ll just point out eating organic, grass-fed meat seems to be a better option than corn-fed non-organic meat; however, organic does not mean humane. Also, based on more and more books and articles I’ve read, and conversations I’ve had, eating less meat, organic or not — and animals rights aside — seems to be the most “eco-conscious” decision since meat is an inefficient “crop” that takes up way more natural resources than plants and most grains would.

I’ll also note that if you buy produce locally and in-season, it typically means less food miles which typically means your precious fruits and veggies haven’t been frozen for survival over long-trips. Also, if you can buy from Farmer’s Markets you can create a relationship with the farmer directly and ask him or her how they raise their crops. Just a thought, though, honestly, I don’t shop at farmers’ markets myself — but I do buy the dirty dozen organic as much as my measly college-budget permits.

Related Posts

• Why Organic Isn’t a Panacea

<3,

The Cranky One

Thankfully, I did have some company!

He’s so studious, just like his mama!

Despite my self-imposed exile, I did actually get to have some fun this weekend!  Yes, yes I did leave my house if only for a few hours to meet up with my friend/co-worker/fellow masochist student at our local farmers’ market.  I hadn’t been to a farmers’ market in like 5 years, so I was stoked to check it out and to see if shopping there would be a viable option for me.

The scenery…



And the thing that made me cry a little inside…

Have you guys ever had a pupusa? They are an El Salvadorean dish that’s like a tortilla pancake filled with beans, cheese and whatever else you’d like.  Yes, I just said like a tortilla pancake with beans and cheese inside…can you even wrap your head around how good they must taste?!  Back in the day I would get like three in a sitting.  Mmmm.  This time, I decided against getting one seeing that they are a) high cal, b) possibly made with lard, and c) from a company called La Gordita Feliz which means “the happy fat chick” in my translation.  I’m just sayin’…

What did I end up with? Four white peaches at $2/pound came out to about $4.00, some yellow zucchini at $1.00, a pack of strawberries for $4.00 and some Mom’s Greek products, shown below:
Cilantro & Jalapeno Hummus — Yum, but not amazing.


Black Bean with Chipotle Harissa – You had me at black bean. More Yum than Cilantro & Jalapeno.


Taboule Salad — Too dry, sorry.

I hate to be a Cranky McCranky Butt, but those Mom’s products were 3 for $10.00, which, given my pathetic budget, is way too much mula. Given the price of the fruit and veggies and above products at the Farmers’ Market, I’d have to say, I truly cannot afford to shop there for my staple foods. If you saw my handy-dandy grocery price comparison list here, you’d notice that I typically get peaches for $1.49/pound and I get 32 ounces of Tribe Hummus for $4.99 at Costco, whereas at Mom’s it would be $10.00 for 24 ounces.  That’s $0.16 an ounce versus $0.42, or almost triple the cost. To be fair, I will say that there are some very loyal supporters of Mom’s and it is always nice to support local mom and pop companies.  If you can afford it. Check out the review of Mom’s on Chowhound.com here to see much more positive, happy, shiny people than me talk about Mom’s.

Even though I have got to be one of the most annoying people to be around given that I’m both frugal with my money and frugal with my calories, I must have at least one redeeming quality b/c my friend stuck around long enough for us to go to lunch.

We ate at Rock Bottom Brewery where I had the Santa Fe Salad without added chicken.  Nothing extraordinary, but certainly delicious!

it came with Tempura-battered banana peppers.  At first I was like, “ugh, why do they have to fry the peppers” blah blah blah whine whine. Then I ate one and quickly shut my mouth long enough to continue gorging on the masterpieces I had originally dissed.

We then went to check out my friend’s local coffee shop and study spot where I will soon be joining her for study dates (don’t worry boyfriend I still love you, but I’ve got to spread my wings sometimes..;)

I know I’ve found a spot near and dear to my little hippie heart when the chalk calendar has MFA readings and folk music listed

September Goal Update

You saw here where I said I wanted to do cardio 5xs a week, strength training 3xs a week and yadda yadda yadda, right?  I’ll tell you about it in tomorrow because this post is waaaaaay too long and I’ve gots to study!

In the News

• Science Daily‘s, “That Late-night Snack: Worse Than You Think” (9/7/09) here — Apparently if we eat at night when we’re supposed to be sleeping, our bodies are inclined to hold on to the calories.  I think this is bogus, sorry.  I think this is one of those cases where tests on mice do not translate to humans. Booya!
• Science Daily‘s, “Why Cry? Evolutionary Biologists Show Crying Can Strengthen Relationships” (9/7/09) here — I don’t know about you guys, but I’m printing this one and keeping it handy so that next time I start bawling and my boyfriend is dumbstruck by it, I can tell him I’m taking one for the team and doing it for the sake of our relationship. BUAHAHAH!

Give-Away Round Up

• Three different give-aways: Win a $100 gift certificate for jewelry to inspire your active lifestyle, win a gift certificate to a boutique for children’s clothes and/or win 25 personalized/custom cards/invites here

How are you guys spending labor day?  Do you feel your local farmers’ markets are affordable? Do you have a favorite study spot? Favorite local coffee shop?

<3, The Cranky One

A Fruit is Just a Fruit, Right?

Photo from Travelinfoo55 on Flickr here

Battle of the (Wallet) Bulge

How do your grocery stores match up?

I’ve typically bought most of my produce from Costco because I eat so much of it and was under the impression I was getting the best price.  If you see the above chart, my local ethnic grocery store consistently offers substantially lower prices than Costco.  Costco, however, consistently offers lower prices than Albertson’s. For instance, for a bag of carrots, I would save $2.00 a bag if I bought them from my local ethnic grocery store instead of Albertson’s.  Additionally, for gala apples, I would save almost a dollar per pound at my ethnic grocery store in comparison to Albertson’s.

My Money-Saving Tips

• Make a list of your staples (the foods you consistently buy) and a spreadsheet like I did above. Compare prices between at least three grocery stores and even check out your local farmers’ market! I know this is a time commitment, but I think it’s worth it.  Consider calling a friend who shops at a different market than you do and ask him or her to take note of the prices for you.  Be resourceful to save time and money!
• If you buy processed foods, particularly those marketed as health foods that you can only find at health food stores, consider buying them in bulk from amazon.com’s grocery section here, or Healthy Snacks Direct here.
• Don’t knock coupons!  Take one day a week to scour newspapers and the web for good deals and coupons.  Consider splitting the job with a friend, or swapping coupons.  Find coupons for grocery stores here, as well.
• Sign up for e-mail newsletters from your favorite stores (sign up for Whole Foods’ here) and products to stay on top of sales, score coupons and occasionally be let in on a sale before everyone else!

A note about organics:  If buying organic produce is important to you, consider the following “dirty dozen” fruits and vegetables that have been found to have the highest levels of pesticide residues.  These are the produce items to consider shelling out extra dough for:

• Apples
• Cherries
• Grapes, imported
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Pears
• Raspberries
• Strawberries
• Bell peppers
• Celery
• Potatoes
• Spinach
• Source: organic.org

A note about ethnic grocery stores (based on the store I frequent)

• Do not sell organic options
• Do not sell whole-wheat pastas or breads
• Offer lots of cool spices and seasonings you wouldn’t typically find elsewhere
• Offer some cool produce options like chayote and nopales that you wouldn’t typically find elsewhere

A General Note About Grocery Stores

• Watch for expiration dates
• Watch for sketchy items? (I didn’t think I’d have to write the above or this, but my recent price comparison trip allowed me to face the truth that grocery stores in lower income areas tend to be more lax about expiration dates and even selling items clearly marked as “Do Not Sell”

Le sigh. And yes, I brought my camera to the grocery store!

My Final Long-Winded Message?

At the end of the day, it’s not necessarily about what’s better, it’s about what’s better for YOU.  At this point in time, I care most about price.  I have cut a lot of packaged foods, even “healthy” packaged foods, from my diet simply because they are not worth the price to me.  Since I do eat at least one apple a day, I am considering shelling out the extra dough to buy organic and will also make a point to visit my local farmers’ market.  Since foods like kiwis and bananas have a shell or skin that is not consumed, I am not inclined to buy organic at this time.  Consider what’s important to you and consider how much money you could save simply by doing a little research.

In the News

• Calorie Lab‘s, “Taxing Fat People Won’t Be the Solution for Health Care” (8/17/09) here
• Calorie Lab‘s, “Two views of Orthorexia: Problem for Babies and Relationships” (8/1709) here
• Science Daily‘s, “Excessive Exercise Can be Addicting, New Study Finds” (8/18/09) here
• Mail Online‘s, “Devil’s food? The Surprising Health Benefits of the Humble Spud” (8/16/09) here

Give-Away Round Up

• Did you enter my give-away here for some Feed Granola and other loot? ;D
• Win a Lebert Equalizer here
• Win some Full Bites here
• Win some Puffins, Larabars and other loot here
• Win jam in one give-away and a load of loot in another, both here

Do you guys have any money-saving tips you would so kindly share with me?!

I hope you have a wonderful day!

<3, The Cranky One

Top 5 Things I Learned that Piss Me Off

1. I now even have to worry about the fruits and vegetables I buy.  How will I know if my fruit is a GMO? Oh, I won’t!  I guess if it looks like an apple on steroids that’s an indicator.
2. My beloved soybeans are highly monopolized just like corn and are, therefore, the devil. Ok, not the “devil.” But I ain’t smilin’, let’s just say that. By the way, did you know corn is in everything from charcoal to diapers to the meds you take?
3. The FDA is pretty laughable when it comes to actually effecting change and watching out for the consumer. Here’s a great idea, let’s have an organization for the people’s interest and then staff it with people who have a vested interest in companies whose main motives are to make money off the people!  That sounds impartial!
4. Government subsidies of corn have made it so junk food is more accessible to the poor than real fruit and vegetables. Didn’t you know the “American Dream” includes eating Jack in the Crack 3 times a day?!
5. Big Corp is behind most of my favorite brands.  Dear Kashi, I did not know you were part of Kellogg.  That makes my soul die a little, but I still love your cereal, not gonna lie! xoxo

Let me follow this list with a concession — I suffer from H.E.S. (hyperbole and exaggeration syndrome), so I am being more dramatic than may be called for, but I am rather annoyed.  It’s not like I know enough science to know whether GMOs are going to make me grow an extra eyeball in the next few years or even if organic foods are really the answer.  What I do know is this — I value KNOWLEDGE above everything else.  I want to be informed if my food has GMOs — even if the sticker informing me is bigger than the fruit itself and merely says that there are GMOs but until further research is done no one knows what that means.  That way, I am given the choice to say “meh, whatevs!” or “hmm, think I’ll stick to this tiny ugly organic apple.”  I’m just sayin’…

Throughout the film, I kept asking myself:  why, why is fast food so prevalent…still? It’s not that “fast” food is inherently bad.  We all have to eat on the run and bananas are certainly “fast” to eat – peel, go and yum!  But a large portion of us are not eatin’ bananas from a drive thru.  Nope, they’re getting shit crap for food and not just once a week, but with such an insane frequency it creates a problem.

A friend said to me, “no one is a villain here.”  I am hesitant to agree. The reason people eat McDonalds, the reason it’s so in demand is not necessarily because out of a state of nature we as human beings said “I want to take these potatoes from the Earth and fry them to a crisp and eat them every day.”  Fast Food became widely available,  highly advertised, cheap due to subsidies and assembly line mechanics, addictive due to fat & sugar content and an ICON and societal NORM.

The thing that bothers me to the core is this line, “the biggest predictor of obesity is poverty level.” This absolutely bites at my core.  I have seen grocery stores in impoverished areas – they do not carry the same variety of whole foods or organic foods as the SAME store in a more affluent area.  Some poor people simply cannot afford to eat healthy.  And even if you balk at that statement, I’m pretty sure you can’t argue that a lot of impoverished people do not KNOW how incredibly awful they are eating.  And I’ll be the first to admit that food ignorance is not isolated to the impoverished…

I could go on and on, but as you can see — I’m just cranky and confused.  So, what do we disillusioned little souls do?

10 Simple Tips (as listed on the site here)

1. Stop drinking sodas and other sweetened beverages.  You can lose 25 lbs in a year by replacing one 20 oz soda a day with a no calorie beverage (preferably water).
2. Eat at home instead of eating out.  Children consume almost twice (1.8 times) as many calories when eating food prepared outside the home.
3. Support the passage of laws requiring chain restaurants to post calorie information on menus and menu boards. Half of the leading chain restaurants provide no nutritional information to their customers.
4. Tell schools to stop selling sodas, junk food, and sports drinks. Over the last two decades, rates of obesity have tripled in children and adolescents aged 6 to 19 years.
5. Meatless Mondays—Go without meat one day a week.  An estimated 70% of all antibiotics used in the United States are given to farm animals.
6. Buy organic or sustainable food with little or no pesticides. According to the EPA, over 1 billion pounds of pesticides are used each year in the U.S.
7. Protect family farms; visit your local farmer’s market.  Farmer’s markets allow farmers to keep 80 to 90 cents of each dollar spent by the consumer.
8. Make a point to know where your food comes from—READ LABELS.  The average meal travels 1500 miles from the farm to your dinner plate.
9. Tell Congress that food safety is important to you. Each year, contaminated food causes millions of illnesses and thousands of deaths in the U.S.
10. Demand job protections for farm workers and food processors, ensuring fair wages and other protections. Poverty among farm workers is more than twice that of all wage and salary employees.

If you want to know where I stand — like I said, I’m all about knowledge.  That is what I fight for. I don’t believe in shoving vegetarianism down people’s throats or staunchly advocating the purchase of organic goods.  But I believe people should know something as simple and important as what goes into their bodies as well as what options are available to them.  The main message of the movie was that the consumer has the power to effect change. It’s true — we do vote with every purchase we make. But some people really don’t know they have choices and may, even if aware they are making choices they would rather not make, feel trapped and are economically cornered.

Books I’ve Read (or Plan on Reading) Related to This Topic

• Omnivore’s Dilemma
• Fast Food Nation
• Diet for A Small Planet
• Food Politics

Trailer to the Movie

Now that I’ve blabbed on for way too long (congrats on reading this far, by the way — you earn an Extra Value Meal! j/k!), what do you think about these issues?  Have you seen Food Inc.?  Which of the 10 “tips” above do you already follow?