More and more organic products are showing up in our groceries every day.  They range from cereal to candy bars, pancake mix to meats, covering a wide spectrum of foods.  Should you buy everything organic?  If you can, to make it easy, sure.  If you are on a limited budget, like most of us, no.  Some foods have been tested and are known to include higher levels of pesticides, antibiotics and growth hormones.  THESE you should buy organic.  Below is a list of these foods.  If you want to start buying organic, this would be a great place to begin.  Each week or visit to the grocery, switch one of these out with it’s organic counterpart.

Meat, Dairy, and Eggs: Organic meat, milk, and eggs are free of antibiotics, added growth hormones, and pesticides. Unlike their conventional counterparts, the animals used for organic products are raised without antibiotics or hormones. Chemicals present in animal feed can end up in conventional meat, dairy, and eggs. However, organically raised animals eat an organic diet that does not contain pesticides or fertilizers. That’s why the top three items on our buy-organic list are:

Fruits/Vegetables:  A good rule of thumb, the thinner the skin, the more apt they are to absorb pesticides.  Even washing does not eliminate the pesticide residue.

1. Peaches and nectarines
2. Strawberries
3. Apples
4. Blueberries
5. Bell Peppers
6. Spinach and lettuce, Kale/Collards
7. Cherries
8. Potatoes
9. Grapes
10. Carrots

References:

• http://www.healthcastle.com/organic_foods.shtml - great explanation of why the above list items are susceptible to pesticides
• Tony Gonzalez’s “The All-Pro Diet”
• For a full list of fruits and vegetables from low to high pesticides visit http://www.foodnews.org/fulllist.php.

After much success with last year’s garden, I decided to double my chances and create another box.  I took what I learned from last year…

• Peppers love the heat
• You only need one or two cucumber plants
• Separate the vine-type veggies – they overtake others
• Water, water, water

Garden Box 1

Garden Box 2

So when you walk in a grocery store, do you ever feel overwelmed?  Your list says coffee, but there are twenty different kinds.  Your list says eggs - which brand should you get?  Do you find yourself saying, "I want to eat healthy, but I have heard that healthy food is just not as good as the 'real' stuff."  Ha (oxymoron - I have to comment).  

Healthier food can be a little different then the food you have come accustomed to.  At first they may taste a little bland...  It took me a while to find brands that have more taste and that I enjoy versus just eating them because they are good for me.  Below are some of my favorites.  Maybe I can save you a little time.  Give them a try.

• Cascadian Farms - jellys, frozen fruits (blueberries are delish!)
• Back To Nature - crackers, nuts, trail mix
• Earth Grains, Ezekial 4:9, Nature's Own - breads, pitas, pastas
• Eggland's Best (organic) - eggs maybe?
• Organic Valley - milk, butter, cheese, cream cheese
• Blue Diamond - almond butter
• Maple Grove Farms - maple syrup, pancake mix
• Springer Mountain Farms - chicken (and it is local to Atlanta)
• Alexia Foods - frozen potatoes (red, sweet)
• Amy's - soups, chilis, pizzas, various

And this is the tip of the iceberg.  I try a new brand or food each visit to the grocery. 

What are your favorites?

So after my last post, I felt bad not giving my readers suggestions for when a sugar craving does arrive.  As a reader commented, fruit is a
 great way to satisfy that craving.  I eat bananas when I crave something sweet during the day.  I have also found a handful of baby carrots is a good option.   Both have "good" sugars and the body thinks the same of it as say a candy bar (or a "bad" sugar).

One thing that really troubles me about the popular fad diets is that they are insistent on not eating fruit.  Avoid
 fruit in stage one or avoid fruit all together.  This should be a red flag to dieters!  If they had your health in mind, you would not be asked to miss one of the best foods out there for you.  Keep this in mind the next time (usually at least once a year), you decide it is time to go on a diet.

Another snack I commonly have is a homemade trail mix.  It is hard to find a good trail mix now-a-days without some form of sugar added so I make my own.  I will buy Back to Nature almonds (or any kind of nut), Kroger Organic raisins, and other dried fruits I can find that have no added sugar (cherries, cranberries, blueberries, etc).  Remember, read the ingredients...  It is very common for manufactures to add sugar, salt (low salt not too bad), and other preservatives to their products.

Other snacks I love - Larabars, grapes, Sambazon acai juice, and other fruits.

In case you are worried about calories or portion size, as most of us are, try to stick to the label serving size.  For instance, I eat no more than one cup of trail mix, one banana, and/or fifteen carrots a day.  If you are still not feeling full, modify as you go.  As you can see, I have three snacks a day outside of the three essential meals.

Happy snacking!

If you are craving sugar or want to eat sugar, I suggest eating sugar.  Yea, but didn't I just say to avoid food items with sugar in the top three ingredients.  Indeed I did, but I would suggest sugar over anything artificial.  Artificial sugars are just not good for us.  They are not absorbed by the body (which some people believe is good) and if eaten in large quantities, can cause digestive issues (abdominal pains, diarrhea, and gas).  Your liver is forced to work overtime to eliminate chemicals in the body it does not know how to break down.  If it can not break them down, where do they go?

"The sad truth is that diet foods and drinks ruin your body's ability to count calories, and in fact stimulate your appetite, thus boosting your inclination to overindulge."

Below is a list of common artificial sweeteners found in our foods:

• aspartame (DIET sodas, yogurt, low fat items...)
• sorbitol (gum, mints...)
• xylitol
• erythlitol
• isomalt
• lactitol
• malitol