I keep on getting asked this question over and over again.
“So what’s your number one food shop item you cannot do without?”
Actually quite simple: FRESH, REAL FOOD!
Unadulterated, unprocessed, unrefined, nature’s bounty. Best of all, when in season, from my local farm or the farmer’s market as this has been freshly picked that same day or at max 2 days ago. You cannot get more vibrant and nutrient-dense than that. Once you take a bite you are hooked, it is nothing like what you get in the store, you can actually taste the freshness.
Check out www.localharvest.org to find a farmers’ market or CSA (Community Shared Agriculture) farm near you.
The next best option is the organic food isle at the store, although the produce has been kept in cold storage for a while thus sacrificing some of the fresh. But hey, if at least 1/3 to 1/2 half of your cart is filled from this section, you are on your way to living a cancer-fighting way of life.
If, for budget or selection reasons you have to opt for conventional produce, then do yourselves a favor and avoid the Dirty Dozen. This is a classification given by the EWG (Environmental Working Group) to those produce items that are the most contaminated, that is they hold the largest % of pesticide residue. And here they are:
Apples
Strawberries
Grapes
Celery
Peaches
Spinach
Sweet Bell Peppers
Nectarines (imported)
Cucumbers
Cherry Tomatoes
Snap Peas (imported)
Potatoes
Hot Peppers
Kale / Collard Greens
So who picked up that I listed 14, not 12, items? Somehow the list was extended, but the name is still short and snappy, don’t you agree?
And don’t worry, you do not need to memorize this list now, there’s a handy app for everything nowadays, including the EWG’s Dirty Dozen Guide. It also includes the Clean 15, listing those items that hold the least pesticide residue. Go ahead and download it right now. The more you work with it, the quicker you’ll be able to impress your friends, and yourself.
But what to do when you need those cuces for juicing and they only have conventional ones on that DD list? My motto: rather some than none! I go home and peel and scrub, or soak in a little vinegar water for a few minutes.
Real food fuels my life, I cannot go without!
In health and healing
Kirstin
