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Shopping for Organic Foods
Healthy Child
Friday, February 22, 2008
By Cheryl Tallman and Joan Ahlers
When shopping for your family, you should consider that per pound of body weight, babies consume about 60 times more fruits and vegetables than adults. This fact combined with undeveloped digestive and immune systems, put young children at the greatest health risk for pesticide residues. To minimize the effects, you might consider buying organic for those foods that your children eat regularly.
Produce: Pesticides levels vary in produce. Here is a list of common fruits and veggies that are high in pesticide residues*.
Because of the naturally high levels, you might consider buying organic for these foods:
Apples
Bell peppers
Celery
Cherries
Grapes (imported)
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Potatoes
Red Raspberries
Spinach
Strawberries
On the flip side, these fruits and veggies are commonly found to have the lowest levels of pesticide residues*
Asparagus
Avocados
Bananas
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Corn (sweet)
Kiwi
Mangos
Onions
Papayas
Pineapples
Peas (sweet)
*Source: The Environmental Workers Union
Dairy, egg and meat products: While produce is often associated with organic food, there is a growing interest among consumers in dairy, egg and meat products. The reason for increased interest is quite simple - consumers want to know their food is safe. The strict guidelines for producing organic foods are the answer to consumer concerns. Organic eggs and dairy products are readily available in supermarkets. Horizon, Stonyfield Farm and Eggland's Best are just a few national brands. Organic meats may be harder to find. Look for them in natural products stores, farmer's markets and through home delivery services.
Processed foods: Many stores are stocking their shelves with organically processed foods too. In order to make it easier to shop for organic products, the USDA has defined special labeling:
- "100% Organic" label means made with 100% organic ingredients;
- "Organic" label means made with at least 95% organic ingredients;
- "Made With Organic Ingredients" label means made with a minimum of 70% organic ingredients with strict restrictions on the remaining 30% including no GMOs (genetically modified organisms); and
- Products with less than 70% organic ingredients may list organically produced ingredients on the side panel of the package, but may not make any organic claims on the front of the package.
About the authors: Cheryl Tallman and Joan Ahlers are sisters, the mothers of five children and founders of Fresh Baby. They are the creators of the award-winning So Easy Baby Food Kit and Good Clean Fun Placemats, available at many fine specialty stores and national chains including Target and Whole Foods Markets.
Posted by Natalie Cadranel on 02/25 at 07:14 PM
Tela,
There’s already a great one by the Environmental Working Group, download it here: http://www.ewg.org/sites/foodnews/walletguide.php
Best,
Natalie
Posted by sandy winz on 03/03 at 11:33 PM
Hi! I have ordered from this place twice and am very pleased to share. They have great kosher organic and natural food products.
Here is a link http://www.wholeandnatural.com
Enjoy!!!
p.s. I used a code try if it works for you bldc08
Posted by Sandie on 03/18 at 04:20 PM
Thanks for sharing this healthy article . I appreciate Natalie too for adding some info to this article.
I’m gonna forward to my friend Jessica. But in my country they don’t follow these labels. Keep up the good work.
Posted by Shannon on 05/19 at 01:13 PM
Thanks for this quick information. I just made a small reference card to keep in my wallet for use when I go to the market. I live in the province of British Columbia, Canada and if you are in this area, shopping from spud.ca has been an excellent source for me.
Posted by Fredricka on 05/21 at 04:43 PM
Wow…“babies consume about 60 times more fruits and vegetables than adults.” I never new that. Guess that’s why my toddler has so much energy. Nice info.
Posted by Tela on 02/24 at 07:17 PM
Thank you for the wonderful information! I’m thinking of using it to create a quick reference pocket card for my wallet, so I always have it on hand in the grocery store!