Dos and Don'ts

Consider these lists, offered by Dr. A. Weil,
when you shop 'till you drop for groceries. 

loaded with pesticides, better buy organic:
    •    Celery
    •    Peaches
    •    Strawberries
    •    Apples
    •    Blueberries (Domestic)
    •    Nectarines
    •    Sweet Bell Peppers
    •    Spinach
    •    Collard Greens/Kale
    •    Cherries
    •    Potatoes
    •    Grapes (Imported)

least pesticides found in:
    •    Onions
    •    Avocados
    •    Sweet Corn
    •    Pineapples
    •    Mangoes
    •    Sweet Peas
    •    Asparagus
    •    Kiwi
    •    Cabbage
    •    Eggplant
    •    Cantaloupe (Domestic)
    •    Watermelon
    •    Grapefruit
    •    Sweet Potatoes
    •    Honeydew Melon

Kale being high in pesticides really surprised me, I guess no more prepackaged Kale from non organic from Trader Joe's for me. Sweet Corn low in pesticides surprised me as I expected Monsanto to have modified most non-organic corn by now. I heard coffee is best bought organic and some say bananas are cultivated so bad they would not consider eating non-organic ones? I believe fatty dairy products are best eaten organic, but non-organic, non-fat yogurt I eat lots of.  (My pets though refuse it and will only show enthusiasm for the richer kinds!) Many these days swear by Greek yogurt, but for me nothing beats Brown Cow in taste and texture, but their yogurt is not organic and expensive, unless it is on sale. Similar with chocolates, I tasted organic bites, each costing several dollars, and they do not compare to say Swiss Lindt Chocolate Balls in taste and creamy texture. So I decided while I sin, I go for it all the way. And come on, a bite of 70 plus percent deep dark chocolate is not going to do it for me. That may be medicine, but health is not what I am after when I seek out a sweet treat.

I wish organic would consistently go along with better taste and better quality of produce, but I do not find that to be so. I get upset when I pay a lot for an organic apple to find it mealy and tasteless, maybe heavily bruised on top. It bothers me how expensive food has become. I need to make informed and wise decisions as to how I spend my money. Not sure I am succeeding with my sweet tooth keeping the upper hand.

37 years ago I remember being scolded for buying regular brown rice from the regular grocery store, rather then the organic kind from the alternative little health food store then called "Mr. Natural" in Zurich, Switzerland. Then as now, while philosophically in total agreement, price seems an overriding concern for me.

My mind wanders off to the character strategies of the orally fixated and those others that are blessed to be simply delighted and content with a bowl of soup and/or salad. I am not one of them. Lifestyle choices are crucial for our health, I have no doubt. Food choices though are not just dictated by health, but also by pleasure and now with our lists also by knowledge.