Organic Foods
Article by Angela Haldane
Q. I wish to eat a mostly organic diet owing to the harmful effects from the pesticides and other chemicals used on fresh produce. If I can't afford to buy all my fruit and vegetables organically,which produce are the worst for sprays? And which are sprayed the least so I can make good choices.
A. According to the Environmental Working Group www.ewg.org, the highest ranking produce with sprays include peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, lettuce, grapes, pears, spinach and potatoes.
The cleanest dozen, which has the least sprays, include onions, avocado, sweet corn, pineapples, mango, sweet peas, asparagus, kiwifruit, bananas, cabbage, broccoli and eggplant.
It's a great idea to grow a garden, vegetables such as spinach, celery, large bushes of parsley and lettuce are easy to grow all year round. I always buy organic carrots as they seem to really taste like carrots – they have more flavour.
A sprout maker is a great way to get fresh salad ingredients, mung bean or lentil or alfalfa sprouts. Simply change the water daily and in about 3 days time they are ready to eat. You can buy a 3 tiered sprout maker so you can make different types at once or grow them on at different stages. Available at Harvest Wholefoods or your health store. Sprouts are very nutritious, cheap and spray free, grown on your kitchen bench.
If you wish to keep in contact with current issues in New Zealand, contact the Green Party and join the mailing list from Sue Kedgley.