Green month - most important organic foods to buy & eat!

The other day I went over why it's important to eat organically. However, I know it to be nearly impossible to ONLY consume organic foods. For that purpose, I will list the most pesticide laden foods, so if you have to choose, you know WHAT to choose.

First of all, organic foods just taste better. Don't believe me? Try organic vs. conventional side by side. I bet you will especially notice this in meats! Because meat is the top of the food chain (and often eats,then becomes pesticide laden food) it should be your number one concern. I'm not sure how many of you saw Food, Inc., but if you did, then you already know that beef from 1,000 different cows can go into one hamburger. Gross. Everything that cow ate before you got to it, is now in that meat. Ditto on the gross. I urge you all to chose organic and humanely raised meats, not only for your health but for the animals' as well. Factory farming in this country is cruel and unjust. I will NOT take part in consuming it, and I believe that our dollars should go to REAL farmers and not to these factory farmers who's life's goal is to put the small local farmers out of business one by one. Please see the movie. It's a whole other blog that I could write, but I really believe in this, and I'll leave it to the professional documentaries to break your hearts about these animals. ;)

Moving on, I'm sure you know of the dangers of hormone laden meat and dairy, and why we should stay away from it. We are very conditioned to believe we need milk for health, when in fact, humans are the only mammals that drink milk past the age of three (rough age depending on when you ween), and the ONLY mammal to drink the milk of another mammal. Most of us wouldn't drink a family member's breast milk, and it baffles me as to why we would drink it from a cow. That's my personal opinion, and I don't want it to anger anyone or steer you away from continuing to read. So, i will get off the soap box for now (especially since I do, on a blue moon, occasionally eat organic cheese...made from goat or sheep milk). Bottom line is these added hormones create disease. Cancer patients are often told to cut out red meat and dairy. From my own research, I've found the reason is that red meat and dairy cause the cancer cells to develop at twice the normal rate of a dairy and meat free individual. One third of all dairy cows are injected with upwards of 59 hormones. Of those hormones, one is a powerful and naturally occuring GROWTH hormone called Insulin. Insulin is the same in cows as it is in humans. This hormone is considered to be a "fuel cell" for any cancer and a key factor in the rapid growth and proliferation of breast, prostate and colon cancers, and suspected to be found to promote ALL cancers.

Insulin is a normal part of ALL milk because newborns are SUPPOSED to grow quickly. What makes the 50% of obese American consumers think they need MORE growth? Consumers don't think anything about it because the dairy industry has us brainwashed. The most I can say, is do your research on what is going into your body. Kale, broccoli, sesame seeds, spinach, almonds, flax, oranges are all high in calcium. The non-dairy list goes on. I ate dairy free for 3 years, and I never felt better. All excess mucus stopped. I stopped having to clear my throat all the time. I plan on going back to this. Right now, I'm still eating dairy, but I prefer to only eat goat cheese, almond milk and yogurt. I can't get away from the occasional pizza slice. Nobody's perfect. ;)

Anyway, as promised, here's the list of the most important foods to purchase organically.
1. Strawberries!!! These are the most pesticide laden fruits there are. And forget washing them. The pesticides are in the dirt and grow INTO the fruits and veggies. I won't touch them if they aren't organic.

2. Peppers (Bell, green, red & yellow)

3. Spinach

4. Cherries

5. Celery

6. Apples

7. Red raspberries

8. Grapes (including raisins!!!)

9. Nectarines

10. Peaches

11. Pears

12. Potatoes

13. Apricots

14. Cucumbers

15. String beans

16. Winter squash

Cantaloups and melons are also bad. Just remember to always scrub all fruits and veggies before you eat them. Even if you plan on peeling the rind off, cutting into the fruit/veggie causes what's sitting on the outside of the food to then be brought inside via the knife.

To find some local farms, markets & restaurants serving/selling sustainable and organic foods, please visit www.eatwellguide.org

Cheers to good health!