Healthy Mama Magazine Issue 1 - July 2014 | Page 34

N Edes RE si G in your TIGHT BUDGET? Prioritize... Providing an organic diet for your family is obviously the best health option and is relatively easy as there are now many organic stores that stock a wide variety of products. Some fruit and vegetable shops, health food stores and supermarkets have organic ranges and they may also carry selections of organic baby foods. These days many organic produce items are competitively priced so its worth doing some price comparisons in your local stores and supermarkets. If there are times when you are unable to purchase organic items, please bear in mind the following suggestions: CONSIDER BULK You can reduce the cost of organic purchases by buying fruit and vegetables in bulk. You may be able to buy a box of apples or zucchini, then cook and freeze what you cannot immediately use. Even frozen organic is a darn sight healthier for your children than the chemically-laden ‘fresh’ supermarket produce. Alternatively, you can combine efforts with friends, neighbors or other families to buy common items in bulk to be shared. FRUIT AND VEGETABLE WASHES When you are unable to buy organic produce, the next best alternative is to wash commercial produce with a specific ‘fruit and vegetable wash’ and then rub them down with a ‘fruit and veg cloth’. These washes and cloths remove a large percentage of the chemical residue that lies on the surface of the fruit and are available in most health food stores and online. Heavily waxed fruits such as apples need a fruit and veg cloth which physically removes excess polishes. Enjo make a great cleaning cloth specifically for this task. KNOW YOUR FRUIT AND VEG If you have to buy commercial produce, try only to buy those with lower levels of pesticides. See the Environmental Working Group’s pesticide guide. This ranking was developed by analysts based on the results of nearly 43,000 tests for pesticides on produce collected by the US Department of Agriculture and the US Food and Drug Administration between 2000 and 2005. Environmental Working Group (EWG) has created a useful guide on pesticide levels in commercially grown produce. http:/ /www.ewg.org/foodnews/ You can also download this chart directly from the Environmental Working Group website MAG 34