Choose Your Produce Wisely with This Handy Infographic

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Gerrick Dee, who was kind enough to pass along an infographic  he created, which goes more in depth on the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen, which I've talked about on this blog before.

It can be frustrating to buy produce, and if you're anything like me, you often feel the pressure to buy everything organic. The problem is, organic produce can be very pricey. Certainly, this depends on where you do your shopping, but for many people, the cost of buying all organic produce just becomes too much of a burden.

But don't worry! Garrick's handy infographic outlines the items that are categorized as the Dirty Dozen--or the most likely to be contaminated with pesticides--and those that are considered a part of the Clean Fifteen--or the least likely to be contaminated. Plus, it's got some great basic information on pesticides, GMOs, and where to look for organic produce when you need it.

So, take a look - and let me know what you think. Do you buy into the blanket organic and GMO-free model? Or do you shop for produce with a more discerning and price-conscious eye?

Thanks again to Gerrick Dee at Juicing with G for the infographic! ;)

Soil Safety When Urban Gardening

Homegrown strawberries.

One thing I love about living in Seattle is the number of urban gardens I see every day. I love that I can see rooftop gardens on top of high rises in downtown. I adore going to restaurants whose back patio is brimming with homegrown fruits and veggies that will later be served up on a patron’s plate. I can’t resist the temptation to try and grow my own food—strawberries, tomatoes, herbs, onion, and garlic are a few of the forays I’ve taken (not all successful). I’m proud to live in a city that’s the home of a 7-acre food forest, Beacon Food Forest (still in development).

The culture of growing your own food is intoxicating, and once you’re around it, it’s hard to put away the notion of jumping on the DIY gardening bandwagon. And that’s certainly an attitude that I can’t disagree with—I’ve been there. I’m there now. I love it, but I’m still learning a lot—and there are a lot of important things to learn.

Urban gardening increased a whopping 29 percent between 2008 and 2013, with 9 million Americans now saying they grow food in urban areas. The sentiment is fantastic, and one that I stand by absolutely. I think that we’ve allowed ourselves to lose touch with food, where it comes from, and what it takes to grow—and it would be to everyone’s benefit for more people to reconnect.

However, growing food in an urban area has its fair share of hazards, which aren’t always immediately apparent. See, soil has a legacy. One of the reasons it’s great for growing plants is because it absorbs water, which the plant’s roots can slowly absorb. Unfortunately, it also absorbs other things, dangerous things: lead, asbestos, heavy metals, cadmium, arsenic, petrochemicals, and more. Cities take their toll on nature in many ways, and growing produce in contaminated soil means we’re bringing those chemicals right into our bodies.

If you’re planning on doing some urban gardening, it needs to be done the right way. If you’re planting straight into the ground, you’re most at risk (but that doesn’t mean raised beds or pots are safe from hazard). The first thing you should do is get your soil tested to see whether or not it has been contaminated by lead, cadmium, or arsenic. Unfortunately, those tests don’t check for petrochemicals and some other really hazardous chemicals that may have seeped into the soil from car exhaust, cleaning solvents, old Laundromats, or even demolished buildings.

The best solution is to research your plot of land and learn its history—if any buildings were demolished nearby, whether it used to be a parking lot or a gas station or something else, and if there is any other cause for concern. Since you can never be completely sure whether the soil is 100% free of contaminants, wearing gardening gloves and washing all produce thoroughly is always a good idea.

If you’re using raised beds, be sure to think about what they are made out of (or what you’re using to build them). Reclaimed wood can be hazardous since you won’t know its history or whether it was ever treated with chemicals. The point: better safe than sorry.

If you’re interested in learning more about how to safely urban garden, check out this urban soil safety guide from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Do you urban garden? I’d love to hear about your successful and unsuccessful gardening endeavors!

Image from Shutterstock.

A Definitive Guide to Spring Fruits and Vegetables

Spring already! Use this spring produce guide to get the freshest fruits and veggies of the season.
Image: Shutterstock

Happy Spring! I’m sure there are others out there that are just as excited as I am about the prospect of warmer weather and more sunshine. Winter in Seattle isn’t too harsh, but it does get a bit dreary after a while.

I’ve written before about how eating in-season produce makes a huge difference in both price and taste, and last October I shared with you a list of fall foods. I guess I missed my chance to post a winter list, but now that spring has sprung, there’s no looking back.

If you want to get the best produce at the store or market, here are the items you should keep a weather eye out for:

Pick up from fresh, in-season cherries this spring!
Image: Shutterstock

Fruits:

Apricots

Cherries

Grapefruit

Kiwis

Kumquats

Lemons

Navel Oranges

Strawberries

Vegetables:

Artichokes

Arugula

Asparagus

Pan Roasted Chicken with Lemon-Garlic Green Beans... YUM!
Image: Shutterstock

Beets

Cardoons

Carrots

Chard

Fava Beans

Fennel

Fiddleheads

Garlic Scapes / Green Garlic

Green Onions / Scallions

Greens

Kohlrabi

Leeks

Lettuce

Mint

Morels

Nettles

New Potatoes

Parsley

Pea Greens

Peas

Radishes

Ramps

Rhubarb

Spinach

Spring Onions

Sweet Onions

Did I miss any? Share in the comments below which recipes you plan to make with these spring ingredients! Last night, we made this Pan Roasted Chicken with Lemon-Garlic Green Beans… and it was divine. We used Sweet Meyer Lemons (and oh man were they sweet!), boneless skinless chicken breasts, and then followed the recipe to a T. There’s nothing like a simple spring dinner to get the season started right!

It’s Alive! Fruits and Veggies Don’t Have to Be On the Vine to Live

Research showed that cabbage still responded to light
patterns after a week on the shelf.
Image: Shutterstock

Think those fruits and veggies on the grocery store shelves have already died? Think again.  Two studies out of Rice University from researcher Janet Braam and company have shown that not only do fruits and vegetables change their physiology in line with circadian rhythms, but they also continue to do so even after being picked.

Circadian rhythms are, essentially, our biological clocks. Our brains and bodies respond to the oscillation of the circadian rhythm, which is on a 24-hour clock. Changes in the circadian rhythm determine when our sleep drive is greatest, when we are hungriest, signals hormone production, and more. Circadian rhythm is strongly linked to the light-dark cycle of the day, and can even be affected by external signals like exercise. All living beings—humans, plants, animals, and even fungi—have a circadian rhythm.

Juicers: Fab or Fad?

Fresh juice? Yes, please!
Image: Shutterstock

I’ll admit it: I’ve eyed them at the store. The only thing that’s stopped me from purchasing one myself is the cost. Even so, every once in a while I consider how long it would take me to pay one off if I bought it on my credit card. But I’ve also stopped to think about their sudden burst into popularity. Are they just a fad? Or are they really as great as they seem? I’m talking about juicers, of course.

Juicers have a cult-like following.
Image: Shutterstock

There’s no question about it—Americans generally don’t get as many daily servings of fruits and veggies as they ought to. Even those of us who try to always eat healthy, balanced meals might have a hard time fitting five servings of each in a day’s time. Whether it’s because we don’t like the taste or it’s just too much trouble to prepare, many of us are lacking sufficient servings, causing a full array of problems.

Juicers offer the simple option of throwing fruits and veggies in whole and spitting out the liquid and nutrients, leaving a dry pulp behind. People are swearing by the machines, attributing weight loss, healthier skin, and moreenergy to the extra vitamins and minerals they’re now consuming. But how true are these claims?

As it turns out, they’re pretty legitimate. Adding servings of juice to a regular diet can add lots of nutritional value, especially when people use dark green and deep orange vegetables in their juices. Kale and carrots may not be an enjoyable taste for everyone, but many are finding that they can easily palate them when they’re mixed up with a few sweeter fruits like pineapple or apple.

Unfortunately, the method is not perfect and some nutritionists have urged people not to get too carried away. “You’re getting a higher quota of some nutrients, but not necessarily all of them,” cautioned Jennifer Nelson of the Mayo Clinic. Some nutrients can be lost in the process of juicing, so the practice shouldn’t necessarily completely replace regular, whole, fruits and veggies in meals.

Image from hungryhungryrunner.com

Juicers vary significantly in price, starting at about $50 for manual models that require chopping and produce very little juice and jumping to somewhere around $700 for more elaborate models. “Fast” Juicers produce juice in mere seconds, are generally loud, and get most moisture out of produce. “Slow” juicers take a few minutes to process but get more liquid out and don’t produce heat—which can deplete some nutritional value. “Whole food” juicers work much like a food processor or blender, grinding up the whole ingredient and leaving behind nothing.

Juicers jumped to popularity shortly after the release of “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead,” produced by Australian filmmaker Joe Cross, who went on a 60-day juice fast and lost over 80 pounds, sending his autoimmune disease into remission. After it was released on Netflix, sales skyrocketed. Last year, sales hit about $215 million, a 71% growth over the year before. 

Low-Calorie, Vitamin Rich

Some of the most versatile foods are also the best for you. I’ll confess I wasn’t much of a veggie eater until recently. I grew up eating mostly frozen and canned veggies, which, let’s face it, are usually lacking. I never realized how much I was missing out on—both in taste and in substance—until I finally started cooking for myself. For me, using fresh veggies is not only easier, but it tastes a heck of a lot better in whatever I’m making. Here are some of my favorite low-calorie superfoods to use:

Coffee helps prevent cancer, diabetes, and Parkinson's disease.
It also speeds up your metabolism and helps burn excess fat.
Image: Shutterstock

1. Arugula—4 calories per cup. A peppery leafy green packed with fiber, potassium, vitamins A, C, and K, and loads of other nutrients.
2. Asparagus—27 calories per cup. Don’t overcook it! A detoxifying food that flushes out your system and contains vitamins A, C, E, K, B6, folate, iron, copper, and protein.
3. Broccoli—31 calories per cup. A nice, crunchy green with plenty of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that could help fight cancer.
4. Brussels Sprouts—38 calories per cup. Looks like little mini lettuce-heads. Packed with phytonutrients and fiber and can help prevent cancer. I like them with their stems cut off and steamed with a few spices.
5. Beets—37 calories per ½ cup. Red or gold, they have a nice earthy sweetness. Lots of antioxidants for fighting cancer, as well as iron, fiber, folate, and potassium.
6. Coffee (black)—0 calories per cup. Without all the sweeteners, black coffee can help reduce risk of liver and colon cancer, type 2 diabetes, and Parkinson’s. It also speeds up your metabolism and helps your body burn fat.
7. Grapefruit—39 calories per half fruit. Great for heart health. Lots of vitamin C, folic acid, potassium, pectin, vitamin A, and lycopene.
8. Kale—5 calories per cup. Many think it might be the healthiest food around. It contains cancer-preventing phytonutrients, B vitamins, folic acid, and manganese.
9. Garlic—4 calories per clove. It can help fight colds, cancer, and UTIs (not to mention vampires!).
10. Tea—0 calories per cup. Straight tea (without sugar, etc.) contains antioxidants that help fight cancer and other diseases. It may also lower cholesterol, prevent osteoporosis, and keep our brains nimble.
11. Berries—32 calories per ½ cup. Whatever kind you like, berries area all full of anti-inflammatories that reduce your chances of getting cancer or heart disease. They’re also packed with antioxidants.
12. Carrots—22 calories per ½ cup. They’re also low in saturated fat and cholesterol. Lots of good vitamins and minerals, too: thiamin, niacin, B6, folate, manganese, dietary fiber, potassium, and vitamins A, C, and K.

Berries are a powerful source of antioxidants and anti-inflammatories.
They can also help prevent heart disease and cancer.
Image: Shutterstock

Believe me, the list could go on… and on. These are just my favorites. I use most of them on a weekly basis—and now I’m hooked. They taste better and are better for me. But the big thing is that feel better eating fresh, pure, raw foods. What are your favorite superfoods?