With all this winter in these parts I find myself dreaming of warm sunny days and fresh produce plentiful around me. Flipping through an old Fitness magazine I found this article on Picking the Right Produce.
Buying organic can be costly and I have often heard that certain produce is worth the extra cash as the impact of pesticides is greater. The article gives you the best and worst produce on the pesticide scale and can help you decide if you are going to spend a little extra.
Organic is about more than ingesting pesticides though and one fruit that is not on either list, bananas, has been brought to my attention by a friend who lived in Costa Rica. I never worried about bananas from an organic stand point, their thick skins are discarded and any residue from pesticides with them. Bananas do require a lot of pesticides though and the impact on the workers and the environment where they are grown is devastating. So now I try to justify the extra .20 a pound for organic bananas.
I knew about the Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen, but I never thought about bananas. It seems that we need to be thinking not just about the impact of consuming these fruits & veggies on our bodies, but also about the impact on growers and the environment. It's really helpful to be reminded that organic agriculture is also more healthy for those involved in the growing and harvesting, as well as more sustainable and responsible for the environment.
ReplyDeleteBananas require a lot of pesticides because of the tarantulas, takes a lot of poison to kill those suckers.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, sustainability is also important, which is why I love the good weather for local produce!