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Grocery Shopping Part I: Produce Aisle
As a holistic health counselor, I love taking clients on a supermarket tour of Whole Foods. Browsing aisle by aisle to go over the best food choices, clear up any confusion around products and make the trip to the health food store less overwhelming (not to mention time consuming). The first stop on the tour - the produce section. This area seems to be the most overlooked, with 90% of all groceries purchased in the US coming from processed foods. One third of the vegetables consumed in the United States comes from french fries, potato chips and iceberg lettuce. Not a surprising fact given the current health of our country. On your next trip to the market, experiment, go ahead and fill your cart with a rainbow of seasonal produce. Be sure to keep the following in mind when it comes to deciphering between organic, local or conventional produce:
Organic
• This means that it was grown without pesticides, GMO’s, fertilizers
• Look at the PLU – there will be a “9” followed by a 4 digit number. The “9” indicates that it is organic.
• Be sure to check the labels in case a non-organic fruit or vegetable was placed into the bin of organic produce.
• According to the EWG.org, always buy the following organic due to the high level of pesticides sprayed on the crops. Eating these 12 fruits and vegetables will expose a person to about 10 pesticides per day, on average.
1. Apples
2. Peaches
3. Nectarines
4. Strawberries
5. Cherries
6. Pears
7. Grapes (imported)
8. Celery
9. Spinach
10. Sweet bell peppers
11. Lettuce
12. Potatoes
Local
• Locally grown produce is much fresher and therefore more nutritious than food which may be jet lagged and picked several days ago. Buying local also supports the local community and economy, In addition it will help you to shop seasonally.
• Note that numerous local farmers may be practicing organic, but do not have the finances to apply for certification. Look up their farm online to learn more.
Conventional
• This means it was able to grow with pesticides, GMO's, fertilizer even if it is known to be harmful to consumers health.
• Non-organic produce will usually begin with the number 4.
• According to the EWG.org, these produce contain the least amount of pesticides:
1. Onion
2. Avocado
3. Sweet Corn- Frozen
4. Pineapple
5. Mango
6. Asparagus
7. Sweet Peas - Frozen
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Papaya
12. Watermelon
In an ideal world my first choice at the market is organic and locally grown, then organic, local and conventional and last conventional. Remember when you are choosing organic you are voting with your fork for fewer pesticides and nutrient rich soil.
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