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The kitchen is the heart of the home, a place where we nourish our family and ourselves every day. We even garden, go to the farmer’s market and take cooking classes to perfect our title as foodies. Yes, I am a foodie too. Living in San Francisco, Portland, and Paris and beyond has expanded my taste buds to a fanciful palette. Through the years I have widdled down my list of restaurants, markets and products that I indulge in.  I am in fact like a scrupulous graduate student researching the perfect nuggets for my dissertation paper. In reality, I have learned what to look for when I order or shop to avoid accidentally making me or my family sick with unwanted chemicals. “Hey, I didn’t order that!” Many of us don’t realize the whereabouts of the source of food that we consume. You can shorten the list of inquiries but doing the following:

Buy and Shop Local, Eat Organic, Read labels, Store your food properly and filter your water.

Organic Food is More Nutritious
According to the Organic Consumers Association – On average; organic is 25% more nutritious in terms of vitamins and minerals than products derived from industrial agriculture (that spray pesticides). Since on the average, organic food’s shelf price is only 20% higher than chemical food, this makes it actually cheaper, gram for gram, than chemical food, even ignoring the astronomical hidden costs (damage to health, climate, environment, and government subsidies) of industrial food production.

Eat foods in season and LOCAL! This just helps ensure the vital nutrients and flavors are not lost on days of travel as well as minimize the carbon footprint left behind.

Canned Food
Canned food is great in case of an emergency, if you remember the can opener. The problem with canned food is that it isn’t fresh food hence the name and to top it off the linings are coated with BPA (bisphenol-A) an endocrine disruptor (hormones). Eden foods have come out with an alternative and that is what my cupboard is stocked with.

All Eden Organic Beans, Refried Beans, Chilies and Rice & Beans are cooked in steel cans coated with a baked on oleo resinous c-enamel that does not contain the endocrine disrupter chemical, bisphenol-A (BPA). Oleoresin is a non-toxic mixture of oil and a resin extracted from various plants, such as pine or balsam fir. These cans cost 14% more than the industry standard cans that do contain BPA. The Ball Corporation tells us that Eden is the only U.S. food maker to date to use these BPA free cans and we have been since April 1999. – From edenfoods.com

From the Environmental Working Group
“An EWG simulation of thousands of consumers eating high and low pesticide diets shows that people can lower their pesticide exposure by almost 90 percent by avoiding the top twelve most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the least contaminated instead. Eating the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables will expose a person to about 14 pesticides per day, on average. Eating the 12 least contaminated will expose a person to less than 2 pesticides per day. Less dramatic comparisons will produce less dramatic reductions, but without doubt using the Guide provides people with a way to make choices that lower pesticide exposure in the diet.”

Meats and Dariy
According to data in The China Study, by T. Colin Campbell, some of the most dangerous chemicals are the natural proteins from animal foods. The research has showed that proteins like casein (cow milk protein), leads to a change in the body environment, which in turn allows for the easy formation and growth of cancer. Unless specified growth hormones (RSBT). This goes for eggs, cheese, milk, sour cream, yogurt, cream,

Produce Guide
Here’s a Produce Guide to help show you what foods you MUST buy Organic because the farmers are dumping chemicals on them. Peaches? Who knew? This applies to all forms, fresh, dried and canned (without BPA lining of course). Washing and peeling can reduce your exposure to some toxins but doesn’t eliminate them altogether.

12 Fruits & Veggies to Buy Organic Only
1. Peaches 2. Apples 3. Sweet Bell Peppers 4. Celery 5. Nectarines 6. Strawberries 7. Cherries 8. Lettuce 9. Grapes (imported) 10. Pears 11. Spinach 12. Potatoes

12 With Lowest pesticide residues  Okay to buy non-organic if not available:
1. Onions 2. Avocado 3. Sweet Corn (frozen) 4. Pineapples 5. Mango 6. Sweet Peas (frozen) 7. Asparagus 8. Kiwi 9. Bananas 10. Cabbage  11. Broccoli 12. Eggplant

Bon Appetite!