Think you are eating healthy? Start Counting Chemicals Instead of Calories

When you go into the grocery store nowadays, you will see many buzzwords such as all natural, organic, vegetarian fed, etc.  However, many of these words don’t mean what you think they mean.  This is a big topic so I am going to break it down into a few posts so that I can present the information in smaller bites.  

Today I am going to start with talking to you about produce.  If you notice when you purchase fruits and vegetables in the grocery store, you will see stickers on some of them that have a PLU or Price Lookup code on them.  These codes are optional and not required, but most grocery stores do have these stickers on the fruits and vegetables.  If you should find a sticker on a fruit or vegetable you are purchasing, you can determine whether the food was grown conventionally or organically.  I will give you a comparison between the two in a moment.  PLU or price  look-up codes will give you information about how this produce was grown.  PLU codes are either 4 or 5 digits and they identify different types of produce.  As an example #4013 is the PLU code for a small navel orange.  If the PLU has a number 9 as a prefix, it means it is organic.  An example #94013 is the PLU code for a small organic navel orange. 

Conventional means:

• pesticides were used 
  
• it was grown with synthetic or chemical fertilizers
  
• weeds are controlled with chemical herbicides
  
• insecticides are used to manage pests and disease
  

Organic means: 

• no pesticides were used
• it was grown with natural fertilizers
• insects are controlled using natural methods
• weeds are controlled naturally

There are also genetically modified foods or (GMOs) which are usually not labelled, although there is information floating around that says that a prefix of 8 before the regular 4 digit plu indicates it is GMO on the sticker.  I have never seen an 8 on a sticker and I cannot confirm anywhere that this is factual. 

According to the World Health Organization,  "Genetically modified (GM) foods are foods derived from organisms whose genetic material (DNA) has been modified in a way that does not occur naturally, e.g. through the introduction of a gene from a different organism.  Currently available GM foods stem mostly from plants, but in the future foods derived from GM microorganisms or GM animals are likely to be introduced on the market. Most existing genetically modified crops have been developed to improve yield, through the introduction of resistance to plant diseases or of increased tolerance of herbicides. "  It is important to note that in 64 countries, other than the United States, there are big restrictions or outright bans on GMOs because they are not considered proven safe.  Some of these countries include Australia, Japan, and all of the countries in the European Union.  For a great resource and to learn about GMOs, visit http://www.nongmoproject.org . 

The question when you go grocery shopping becomes, what to purchase organic and what is safe to purchase conventional when shopping for produce.  As a rule, you should purchase organic when you can.  When you can't, it is important to use the Environmental Working Group's lists when shopping for produce.  One is called the Dirty Dozen which summarizes the top 12 fruits and vegetables that are most heavily sprayed and the Clean Fifteen which summarizes the top fifteen conventional fruits and vegetables with the least amount of pesticides.  These two lists tell you which produce you should always buy organic (Dirty Dozen) and which produce is safe to purchase conventional (Clean Fifteen).   The reason we should all steer clear of these pesticides as much as possible, is because they are not only bad for our health but contribute to our growing obesity problem in the US.  Here is a great article from Dr. Axe that goes into great detail about this https://draxe.com/endocrine-disruptors-how-to-avoid-excess-estrogen/ if you want to learn more.  

Once you start eating organic produce, you will notice a difference in how you feel.  You will not want to go back to eating conventional because you will literally be able to taste the pesticides on conventional fruits and vegetables. This happened to me once when I was at a bulk grocery store and decided just to purchase conventional peppers for dinner since they were out of the organic ones. When I  came home and took a bite of one of these peppers, I couldn't believe the amount of pesticides on that one small bite.  The next day, I brought it back to the store for a refund because I could not consciously eat those or feed them to my family.  I equate it to when I used to smoke and then I quit smoking.  When I smoked I could not tell that I smelled like smoke but now that I've not smoked for over 10 years, I definitely notice when someone is a smoker.   It is the same with our food.   If you are used to eating conventional fruits and veggies, you cannot tell that you're consuming these chemicals because you're so used to consuming them. Once you stop, you notice a difference if you ever go back to conventional. 

Many people think that eating organic is expensive, and it can be, but there are ways to save money.  It is worth the investment in the health of you and your family.  If you eat seasonally, you can save a great deal on organics because they are cheaper when in season. You can shop at a local farmer's market, join a CSA, or an organic produce coop in your area.  To help you with your search, here are some good places to look for these:

Coop Directory Service

Local Harvest

Cooperative Grocer Network

Ag Map