A nutrient dense diet is an important variable for maintaining health. When we consume food that has been processed or contains chemicals, it adds to our toxic load resulting in more work for our body to clear the toxins. Avoiding foods that have been processed or contain chemicals and artificial ingredients is beneficial for our health.
Every year the Environmental Working Group (EWG) looks at the toxic load of pesticides on produce. The Dirty Dozen list consists of produce that have the highest levels and/or the most toxic pesticide residue after washing and peeling. The Clean Fifteen have the lowest levels. This year, close to 60% of these Clean Fifteen produce had no detectable pesticide residue. It is also important to note that these results are based on USDA produce (i.e. produce grown in the US). See this year’s list below.
Grocery Shopping Tips
If you have ever done a grocery shopping tour with me, you know I recommend the majority of the shopping happen around the perimeter of the store (i.e., produce, meats, diary, eggs, etc). And when buying pre-package foods, it’s important to be a savvy label reader. Can you pronounce the words? Do you know what each ingredient is?
I know sometimes labels can be confusing, and even misleading. Words like ‘natural’ or ‘cage-free’ often are merely a marketing strategy. Hopefully the information below will help you better decipher some of the food labels.
Produce Stickers
If produce it not clearly labeled, the PLU (product look up) stickers also provide insight.
- 3 or 4 digits – conventionally grown
- 5 digits and starts with a 9 – organically grown
- 8 digits – GMO (genetically modified)
Animal Sources
- Pasture-Raised – animals spend a significant portion of their lives in the pasture. Diet may be supplemented with grains. Chickens and pigs require more supplemental grains.
- Grass-fed – similar to pasture-raised, but may spend more of its life in a barn.
- Grass-finished or 100% Grass-fed – fed all grass and hay.
- Organic – no antibiotics or hormones were given to the animals.
- Free-range – animals may or may not go outside, with no requirement of how long they spend outside.
- Caged – hens have approximately of 67 square inches of space in a cage (approximately the size of a piece of paper), fed corn & soy.
- Cage-free – not kept in cages, but may still be confined inside crowded conditions.
Seafood
- Wild caught – fish caught in their natural environment, eating plankton, krill and other small organisms.
- Farm-raised (including Atlantic Salmon) – raised in a controlled environment (e.g., tanks or net-pens), diet is often manufactured
Hopefully this information will be beneficial on your next grocery shopping trip.