I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately about all the chemicals in our lives. In our food, in our environment. While there may not be a lot we can do about the air we breathe, we can make food choices that will put less stress on our livers and lymph systems as they work to detox our bodies. Buying fruits and vegetables that have not been sprayed with pesticides will not only keep those chemicals from harming us, but those foods have been tested and proved to be more nutritious, according to Dr. Ann Louise Gittleman, the detox diet expert.
There are 12 foods that are most easily contaminated with pesticides and 12 that she lists as okay to not worry about buying organic. Here are the ones you should buy organic whenever possible. They are listed in the order of their toxicity.
1. Peaches
2. Apples
3. Sweet bell peppers
4. Celery
5. Nectarines
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Pears
9. Grapes, imported
10. Spinach
11. Lettuce
12. Potatos
Wow! I buy ALL this stuff.
Here are the foods not to worry about:
1. Onions (just bought a bag of organic ones today. Oh, well..)
2. Avocados
3. Sweet corn
4. Pineapples (ooh, I love pineapple, good idea…)
5. Mangoes (yuck)
6. Asparagus (double yuck)
7. Sweet peas
8. Kiwi (good!)
9. Bananas
10. Cabbage (something else I just bought organic)
11. Broccoli (second verse same as the first)
12. Papaya (triple yuck)
The good Dr. Gittleman also shares a recipe for a Clorox wash that is supposed to “help remove pesticides, bacteria, parasites and other contaminants.” She credits Dr. Hazel Parcells for proving that a very dilute mixture of 1 teaspoon of Clorox bleach to 1 gallon of water will not only clean your fruits and vegetables, but make them last longer.
Thin skinned fruit such as apricots, berries, plums, peaches should be left in the bath for 15 minutes, same for leafy vegetables; poultry, fish, meat, eggs for 20 minutes; thick skinned fruit such as apples, bananas and citrus for 30 minute as well as thin skinned root or fibrous vegetables like carrots and radishes. After the alloted time in the bath, place in clear water for 10 minutes. Then remove, rinse and dry thoroughly.
So, her point is, if organic is too expensive or not available, the above bath is a good alternative. Think I might give it a try with the strawberries I bought today.
So, let me know what you think. Is this sort of information helpful? Has anyone tried the Clorox bath? Comments, comments, comments!
Keep it simple, ya’ll.
Filed under: Cooking, Health, nutrition, Organic, Simplicity, Stewardship, sustainability Tagged: | Health, Organic, Simplicity, Stewardship, sustainability
the Clorox bath is good to kill bacteria, I do not know about pesticides, etc. Probably just plain water will do the same. All good food service operations (restaurants, etc.) will use the clorox bath as a matter of good sanitation practice. One problem – you must use the produce in a short period of time as the clorox will cause the produce to turn brown and spoil quickly. This is especially true for items like lettuce. strawberries will be harmed by even plain water if not consumed soon.
Thanks for the information. I guess buying organic is still the best solution if its available. The source I got this information from has turned out to be perhaps not so reliable after all. Found something wrong in another recommendation totally unrelated – same author, same book.