Going O-rganic for your child

Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and even your local supermarkets are all offering Organic Fruits, Vegetables, and everything they can offer you. In this world, what we need are the simple things, fresh fruit & vegetables, avoidance of pesticide laced foods, and a good balance of food avoiding as much processed food as possible.

Some people focus on getting everything Organic, and they have the budget or they scrimp and save to purchase foods that are Organic. Others balance it out by purchasing fruits and vegetables that have the highest pesticide scores-organic and lessening their contact with these dangerous chemicals, while saving some of their paychecks.

Whatever your style is, just know that it's your choice what you feed your family, and it's good commonsense to switch to Organic on Peaches, Apples, Celery, etc. You are not just building a pesticide-free body, but one that will thank you later in life!

click here for the site that lists the highest pesticide load in fruits & vegetables.

We can debate on the positive of organics, less chemicals as well as the cons, more expensive, but if you stay away from the Dirty Dozen, and buy Organics, and purchase the items that have lower scores of pesticides at your local market, you can help protect your child from harmful pesticides.

To make your own produce spray when you didn't purchase organic use this recipe: This is from Oprah

1 cup water
1 cup vinegar
1 tbs baking soda
10 drops grapefruit seed extract or lemon juice


Mix ingredients in a large bowl, stirring slowly to reduce foaming. Once the bubbles subsided then pour into a spray bottle. Spray on produce and let it sit for 10 minutes before rinsing throughly. Mushrooms should not be sprayed, just take a damp dish towel and dab the dirt away. Do not rinse mushrooms either.

This is their full list, as of March 2009. If you purchase organic items that have a higher score of pesticides, then in the long run you are creating a strong base for you child along with a lifetime of good health!

The Full List: 43 Fruits & Veggies

RANK	FRUIT OR VEGGIE	SCORE
1 (worst)	Peaches	100 (highest pesticide load)
2	Apples	96
3	Sweet Bell Peppers	86
4	Celery	85
5	Nectarines	84
6	Strawberries	83
7	Cherries	75
8	Lettuce	69
9	Grapes - Imported	68
10	Pears	65
11	Spinach	60
12	Potatoes	58
13	Carrots	57
14	Green Beans	55
15	Hot Peppers	53
16	Cucumbers	52
17	Raspberries	47
18	Plums	46
19	Oranges	46
20	Grapes-Domestic	46
21	Cauliflower	39
22	Tangerine	38
23	Mushrooms	37
24	Cantaloupe	34
25	Lemon	31
26	Honeydew Melon	31
27	Grapefruit	31
28	Winter Squash	31
29	Tomatoes	30
30	Sweet Potatoes	30
31	Watermelon	25
32	Blueberries	24
33	Papaya	21
34	Eggplant	19
35	Broccoli	18
36	Cabbage	17
37	Bananas	16
38	Kiwi	14
39	Asparagus	11
40	Sweet Peas-Frozen	11
41	Mango	9
42	Pineapples	7
43	Sweet Corn-Frozen	2
44	Avocado	1
45 (best)	Onions	1