Building websites about nutrition for clients has inspired us to share some of their healthy advice. Bridget Hancock of Bridget Louise Nutrition has given us this post from her website on when to worry about organic and when we can get away with our usual habits.
Knowing what fruit and vegetables to buy at what time of year can be restrictive. As can the expense of buying organic fruit and vegetables to reduce your exposure to pesticides. The pressure is on more than ever to be healthy. With viral loads and the risk of cancer on the rise, reducing pesticides in your food is vital to maintain your health and minimize illness and disease.
The great news is you don’t need to always buy organic produce
Each year the Environmental working group ( ewg.org) issues a shopping list of the pesticides present in produce.
The guide lists the produce that are high in pesticides known as “The Dirty Dozen” and recommends you swap them for the organic option.
They also list “The Clean Fifteen” those with the least amount of pesticides. In fact 70% of the produce on this list had no pesticide residue at all.
Over 70% of the non organic produce in the USA contains pesticides, in fact kale, collard and mustard greens were found to contain over 103 pesticides and bell peppers close behind with 101. Sadly the UK will be much the same.
Small farm to table organic delivery companies or Ocado offer a variety of seasonal organic produce to help you replace The Dirty Dozen with cleaner organic alternatives.
Choosing from The Clean Fifteen is an opportunity to add variety to your diet without buying organic.
Packed full of phytonutrients such as Bromelain in pineapple, used to reduce pain and swelling, or Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Lycopene in papaya to reduce prostate cancer risk, these foods are medicinal as well as delicious. Also included are mushrooms, listed as the number one superfood for 2021, with their anti cancer properties, it is great to know we don’t need to hunt for organic produce to keep ourselves healthy.
It looks like it is time for a summer filled with tropical fruit and delicious medicinal foods.
The Dirty Dozen 2022 – swap for organic
- Strawberries
- Spinach
- Kale, Collard, Mustard Greens
- Nectarines
- Apples
- Grapes
- Bell and hot peppers
- Cherries
- Peaches
- Pears
- Celery
- Tomatoes
The Clean Fifteen 2022 -non organic is fine
- Avocado
- Sweet corn
- Pineapple
- Onions
- Papaya
- Frozen sweet peas
- Asparagus
- Honeydew melon
- Kiwi
- Cabbage
- Mushrooms
- Cantaloupe
- Mangoes
- Watermelon
- Sweet potatoes
Bridget Hancock is a Naturopathic Nutritionist & Transformational Life Coach based in London. To learn more about her work you can find her at bridgetlouisenutrition.com or follow her on Instagram.
