Posts Tagged ‘Dirty Dozen’

Ten Green Resolutions for 2014!

images

A new year has begun! We turn over a new leaf and welcome another opportunity to break old habits and make real improvements in our lives. Many of us spent 2013 contemplating the switch to a green lifestyle, but didn’t know the best way to start.

Our list of 2014 green resolution tips will help you get started! Follow one, two, or all of our tips, and you’ll notice a great change in the New Year.

  1. Rely on Nine Naturals for a beautifully clean 2014! We are proud to carry 100% all-natural, 100% plant-based products that designed to help pregnant women feel beautiful without compromise. Every Nine Naturals product, from our rich Moisturizing Body Cream to our Mandarin + Ginger Restorative Conditioner, will spoil you and keep you, your baby and our environment safe. Check out our luxurious line today!
  2. Opt for chemical-free cleaning products. Did you know that using traditional cleaning chemicals can create indoor air that is two to three times more polluted than the air outside? In 2013, many organizations around the country, including the state of California, began pushing for regulation on chemicals in common household products. Find a list of eco-friendly cleaning alternatives (some of them right in your kitchen cabinet) in our Greening Your “Clean” Routine article.
  3. Get in on the green nursery trend. In 2014, expect a boom in the number of new parents considering a green sanctuary for their newborn. But as our popular article makes clear, green nurseries are much more than a trend. From the mattress to the crib to the cleaning products to the air filter, they provide an excellent way to secure a baby’s health during her important formative years.
  4. Vow to steer clear of chemicals at the hair salon. Chemical-heavy treatments like hair dyeing and chemical straightening can expose you to damaging chemicals and even carcinogens. We’ve published several articles on great alternatives to these harsh treatments.
  5. Line-dry your laundry. Take advantage of sunny days to let the heat dry your clothes naturally, which can seriously save on both energy and money. Find more tips on greening your laundry with our blogpost here.
  6. Don’t let product labels intimidate you! At first glance, they’re just so darn difficult to read. But toxic chemicals are a reality in any number of commonly used household and cosmetic products and it’s crucial to arm yourself with the knowledge to avoid them. Trust us - you can become a fast expert on deciphering an ingredient list! Check out How to Read a Label to get you started!
  7. Eat organic whenever possible. This resolution can significantly reduce how much you expose your body to harmful chemicals and pesticides through what you eat. But you don’t always have to make the organic choice. The Dirty Dozen are the foods you should always eat organic (like apples and peaches), while the Clean Fifteen (eggplant, kiwi) are fine to eat conventionally. The Environmental Working Group provides a handy list for both.
  8. Ditch the plastic water bottles. This might be the hardest resolution to keep, since plastic bottles are so convenient and widespread. But these bottles often harbor harmful chemicals like bisphenol-A and phthalates and are an albatross on global environmental health.
  9. Instead, choose stainless steel and glass over plastic. These materials do not include the toxic chemicals that plastic containers can. Have no choice but to use plastic, though? Remember this rhyme for your safety: “4, 5, and 2 — all the rest are bad for you!”
  10. Increase your environmental shopping consciousness. Lastly, do what you can to augment your mindfulness of Mother Earth whenever you shop. Examples of how to do it: buy in bulk, and choose the farmer’s market over the grocery store. Bone up on the many ways you can be a greener shopper with the help of our Green Tip article.

Shop Smarter: Buying Organic While Pregnant - Introduction to the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen

Buying organic produce has become an increasingly popular shopping habit of consumers in the recent years. Although, organic produce is priced distinctly higher than their non-organic counterparts, buying organic produce comes with its benefits. By shopping organic, one avoids ingesting pesticides that are found in non-organic produce—the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has estimated that individuals can reduce their exposure to pesticides by 80% by eating organic produce.

Avoiding the consumption of pesticides is important to the health of you and your family. According to laboratory studies conducted by the EPA, long-term exposure to pesticides via consumption can cause birth defects, nerve damage and cancer, depending on the type and amount of pesticide exposures.

To help educate consumers as what to avoid when shopping for non-organic produce, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) releases the annual Shopper’s Guide to Pesticide in Produce detailing produce that contain the highest amount and lowest amount of pesticide residue.

In government tests conducted by the FDA and USDA and analyzed by the EWG, detectable pesticides were found in approximately 67 percent of these foods after being prepped for cooking (washing and peeling). Every year, the EWG uses the government pesticide-testing data to compile a list of the fruits and vegetables with the greatest amount of pesticide residue and the least amount of pesticide data known as the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen.

Dirty Dozen

The Dirty Dozen is a list of the 12 fruits and vegetables most likely to be contaminated with pesticides. When conventionally grown, the fruits and vegetables collected tested positive for over 47 chemicals.

The most contaminated fruits are apples, strawberries, grapes, peaches and imported nectarines.

The most contaminated vegetables are celery, spinach, sweet bell peppers, cucumbers, potatoes, cherry tomatoes and hot peppers.

In addition, the EWG cautions consumers about conventionally grown summer squash and leafy greens.

Clean Fifteen:

On the flipside, here are the Clean Fifteen - the 15 fruits and vegetables possess the lowest amount of pesticides after they had been washed: asparagus, avocado, cabbage, cantaloupe, eggplant, grapefruit, kiwi, mango, mushroom, onion, papaya, pineapple, frozen sweet peas, sweet potatoes.

If you decide to buy non-organic, conventionally grown fruits and vegetables, these are the ones to familiarize yourself with.

Shopping Smarter During Pregnancy

While you want to avoid environmental toxins such as pesticides, the Environmental Working Group emphasizes that the health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables outweigh pesticide exposures. It is particularly important for pregnant women to eat generous amounts of fruits and vegetables to ensure the proper intake of vitamins and nutrients for the healthy development of their babies.

That said, use the Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen to help inform your shopping decisions. You can lower your pesticide exposures buy choosing organic alternatives for the 12 fruits and vegetables that comprise the Dirty Dozen. Choose the least contaminated fruits and vegetables by using the Clean Fifteen as a guide.

You can use the labeling on produce at the grocery store to help you determine whether a fruit or vegetable is organic or not. The Price Lookup Code, also known as the PLU, on the produce sticker will tell you how the food was grown.

1. Organic: If the PLU code starts with “9” and is comprised of 5 digits, that means that the produce was grown organically and is not genetically modified (non-GMO). Ex. An organically grown banana has the code 94011.

2. Conventional: If the PLU code is comprised of 4 digits, that means the produce was grown conventionally and with the use of pesticides. Ex. A conventionally grown banana has the code 4011.

3. Genetically Modified: If the PLU code starts with “8” and is comprised of 5 digits, that means the produce is genetically modified. Ex. A genetically engineered banana has the code 84011.

We hope these tips help you to make you a smarter shopper! Here’s to healthy eating and healthy families!