Recently we blogged about the top three: Onions, Corn, Pineapples. Here are the rest. Avocado, Asparagus, Sweet Peas, Mangoes, Eggplant, Cantaloupe, Kiwi, Cabbage, Watermelon, Sweet Potatoes, Grapefruit, Mushrooms.* Feel comfortable feeding these to your family without buying organic. Just watch out for imports from South America and Asia. I try to buy one avocado and one mango a week. These will help feed a family when you cut them into little pieces and add to salads or use as a side. We eat a lot of sweet potatoes and cooked onions. You will usually find a pineapple or some watermelon in our kitchen at any given time. Peas are a weekly must. The others are woven into our monthly menu though we have been staying away from cantaloupe lately. This list is your budget saver group. Ask your store’s produce manager when they are going on sale, really  -  make him your “best friend.”

… for the health of your family,
ellen

Free Food for you if you Win a Case of Tomato Basil Spaghetti Sauce by Simply Organic.  Go to www.KidKritics.com/sweepstakes and enter today.

Onions, Corn and Pineapple, in this order, are the top three “cleanest crops.” (foodnews.org)  Cleanest indicates they contain the least amount of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and other unwanted chemicals.  It also means you can feel comfortable buying and eating commercially grown, avoiding the extra expense of organic. Notice how each has naturally protective skins.  That helps.  What they also have in common is they have nutrients that feed your brain.  Fuel you family economically with fresh onions and pineapple, and,  fresh or frozen corn all year round.

… for the health of your family,
ellen

A whole case of food is up for grabs.  Go to www.KidKritics.com/sweepstakes and enter to win Almond and Rice Cheese Chunks and Shreds by Lisanatti Foods. They look, cook and tastes like mild cheese. YUM!

It's fresh tomato season!  The good news is that this fruit, commonly referred to as a vegetable, is filled with nutrients that feed your brain, ears, eyes, hair, heart, lungs, mouth, teeth, muscles, and nerves!  It is a high performance food, one which most kids say they don't like.  I think this is because commercially grown tomatoes found in grocery stores are mealy and tasteless.  This is due to their poor growing environment and the fact they are picked before ripened.  The sun sweetens red tomatoes. Find a Farmer's Market.  Buy locally sun-ripened tomatoes or better yet, grow your own!  Organic ones are tastier because they have been grown in mineral rich soil.  To meet your budget needs, buy local or organic and cut it into small pieces, making one tomato go farther. Remember, in a nutrient-packed food, a little goes a long way.  Thank heavens kids love tomato sauces.  This absolutely is a great way to go.  Yet, please, keep introducing your kids to tasty fresh tomatoes.

…. for the health of your family,
ellen

Apples have moved to the top of the Dirty Dozen list.   This is because he USDA found pesticide residue in 98% of apples tested.*  Here is the complete list starting with the worst: Apples, Celery, Strawberries, Peaches, Spinach, Nectarines (imported), Grapes (imported), Sweet bell peppers, Potatoes, Blueberries, Lettuce, Kale/collard greens. Sad to see strawberries as number three.  Fortunately, apples, celery, spinach and lettuce are readily available as organic without staggering prices.  Do you best with the others. 

… for the health of families,
ellen

    * Scott Kilman, "Pesticide Residue Taints Apples," Wall Street Journal, 6/13/11, p. B1.

Win a Case of Joseph's Sugar Free Chocolate Chip Cookies this week! Go to www.KidKritics.com/sweepstakes and enter the Kid Kritics Food Giveaway Sweepstakes.

Twenty seconds with a little soap and water can reduce your family's chances of becoming sick from food.  "Consider it (food) contaminated when you bring it in the house." *  According to a survey by the International Food Information Council, fewer people are washing their hands before handling food at home.  Prevention is so simple.  Washing the food and handling it with care is also important.  But at least wash your hands!

… for the health of your family,
ellen

*Nancy Donley, President of Stop Foodborne Illness

Want to win $430.00 of food?  A case of Chocolate Energy Bars by Greens+? Enter the Kid Kritics Food Giveaway Sweepstakes today.  Go to www.KidKritics.com/sweepstakes.

NEW updated "CLEAN 15" list of fruits and vegetables with the lowest amount of pesticides:

Onions, Sweet Corn, Pineapples, Avocado, Asparagus, Sweet Peas, Mangoes, Eggplant, Cantaloupe (domestic), Kiwi, Cabbage, Watermelon, Sweet Potatoes, Grapefruit, Mushrooms.* 

These you can buy locally or in your stores and feel comfortable feeding them to your family.  No need to buy organic.  The key is their skins are thicker, protecting them from absorption.  Of these, you'll probably need to make an extra effort to learn how to cook delicious asparagus and eggplant. Young thin asparagus are more tender and less bitter.  Lightly steam them, chop into less than one inch cuttings, serve with sauteed garlic, lemon juice and sea salt.  Eggplant parmesan was a big hit with the Kid Kritics.  Find that recipe on www.KidKritics.com. Eat Clean!

… for the health of your family,
ellen  

Want to Win a Case of Chocolate Energy Bars by Greens+?  They're Kid Kritics Approved.  Value : $430.00.  Go to www.KidKritics.com/sweepstakes now!

* Source: Environmental Working Group.  Download your own guide: http://static.ewg.org/reports/2011/foodnews/pdf/2011EWGPesticideGuide.pdf

  Organic Strawberries!

The Dirty Dozen – fruits and vegetables are known to have too many pesticides: Apples, Celery, Cherries, Grapes (imported) , Lettuce, Nectarines, Peaches, Pears, Potatoes, Spinach, Strawberries, Sweet bell peppers. Notice, they all have thin skins so they more prone to absorbing unwanted chemicals.  You have to decide how important the health of your family is to you when you are buying any of these fresh foods.  Organic spinach, celery, lettuce, and apples are more reasonably priced and can be found easily in the stores.  Berries are so tempting.  Do your best.  Buy organic, or buy local, or buy from your grocery store and eat fewer less frequently. Pay a little more now or a lot more later for illnesses related to pesticides and other sprayed chemicals not meant for human consumption. Better food choices provides you with long term inexpensive health insurance!

…  for the health of your family,
ellen and sally

… for the health of your family,
ellen and sally

Don’t forget to enter our Kid Kritics Approved Food Giveaway Sweepstakes: www.KidKritics.com/sweepstakes!

A report estimates “50% to 90%  of presumed allergies aren’t, in fact, allergies.”*  This article points out that frequently used singular diagnosis practices such as skin and blood tests administered by doctors are not soley reliable.  What is really needed is the complete picture provided by taking family history and a medically supervised food challenges.   There are so many variables that is is necessary to be thorough when evaluating food reactions. Here are the eight most common foods with the percentage of Americans who are allergic: FISH: 0.3%-0.6%. SOY: 0.2%-0.7%. PEANUTS: 0.6%-0.75%. TREE NUTS: 0.1%-0.45%. MILK: 0.9%-3%. SHELLFISH: 0.6%-1.2%. WHEAT: 0.2%-2%. EGGS: 0.3%-1%.*  Bet you expected these numbers to be higher. 

Double check your allergy reports. Reactions may be related to other medical conditions.  Some may be related to the chemicals used when growing or raising these foods.  This issue offers a good reason to chose organic.  Artificial ingredients such as dyes are serious bodily rejection culprits.  When addressing allergies, make sure you have covered all the bases, including serving the best possible foods at home.

… for the health of your family,
ellen and sally

*”New Rules for Food Allergies,” Melinda Beck, Wall Street Journal, 12/7/2010, pp. D1, D4.

Author of Eating Between the Lines, Kimberly Stewart, offers this helpful Shopping Guide tip  to you:

Aisle 1: Can’t Go Wrong, Fruits and Veggies

Above all, spend most of your shopping time in the produce department, followed by the frozen fruit and vegetables section. There are no poor choices and the only decision is organic versus conventionally grown.

 If you like the idea of fewer pesticides, but can’t always afford, or even justify, the higher price for certified organic, The Environmental Working Group compiled a list of foods that commonly test for the highest levels of residues, including child friendly favorites like apples, cherries, imported grapes, nectarines, pears, peaches, raspberries, strawberries, and celery, potatoes, spinach and bell peppers.

 While the residue levels are below government thresholds, if your children eat these foods again and again, you may want to consider buying from organic sources. An easy way to identify organic produce is by the number nine. Stuck to every organic fruit and vegetable is a sticker with a five digit price look-up code—organic foods always begin with the number nine. 

 TIP: Send your children searching for produce stickers that begin with a number 9.

… for the health of your family,
ellen and sally