I love going to the farmers market on Saturday mornings, even the indoor winter market! Ever notice how happy and friendly everyone is there? In a couple of weeks, the markets will return outdoors along with native produce again! I love the four seasons!
As I’ve mentioned before, my goal for Balanced Interiors is to share not only great design ideas but also ideas to create a healthy home environment. Before we get any further into this newsletter I’m going to share a link to a very important website that in my opinion everyone should know about and bookmark, http://www.ewg.org I have learned a wealth of information from this organization who advocates for better political policies, works on advances in science, and activates people to be conscious consumers. EWG has inspired millions of people to create a better, greener life for themselves and their families. I’m always surprised when I’m talking with someone who hasn’t heard of EWG, hence what inspired this months topic. With Earth Day just behind us, it was April 22nd, it’s inspiring to see so many people concerned and active about their environment!
Just this past week, the rapidly growing food movement has pressured Kraft to remove artificial preservatives and synthetic dyes yellow 5 and yellow 6 from their iconic macaroni and cheese. I often gave this to my kids when they were young, yikes, who knew! Sorry kids! I wasn’t informed then but now with organizations like EWG we are guided as to the safety of products we’re shopping for and bringing into our homes. I call it being “healthy by design.”
So back to the farmers market and that beautiful produce seeding itself in greenhouses right now. EWG has done all the work for us, developing a list of which fruits and vegetable contain the highest levels of pesticides and should be bought organic. EWG analyzed pesticide residue testing data from the US Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration to come up with rankings for these popular fresh produce items. Lower numbers = more pesticides
You can download the Dirty Dozen and Clean fifteen and have it with you at the market! I’m listing it below too because I really want you to start designing your own healthy home! Once you taste how good an organic apple taste, which by the way is number one on the dirty dozen list, you will never eat a toxic laden apple again. Think Snow White and the wicked queen.
Dirty Dozen
1.Apples 2. Celery 3. Strawberries 4. Peaches
5. Spinach 6. Nectarines 7. Grapes-imported 8. Sweet bell peppers
9. Potatoes 10. Blueberries-domestic 11. Lettuce 12. Kale/collard greens
Clean Fifteen
1.Avocados 2. Sweet Corn 3. Pineapples 4. Cabbage 5. Sweet peas
6. Onions 7. Asparagus 8. Mangos 9. Papayas 10. Kiwi
11. Eggplant 12. Grapefruit 13. Cantaloupe 14. Cauliflower 15. Sweet potatoes
Eat local, know your farmer, bookmark http://www.ewg.org and begin designing a healthy home.
Wishing you good health, knowledge and sunshine.
Kindly,
Monique Sabatino
