Dirty Dozen & Clean 15

I often hear that one of the biggest challenges people face when trying to eat healthy is the cost. Quite simply, it is more expensive to eat higher quality food. Unfortunately, we live in a society where food is not a priority for most and we subsidize industries who do not have our health as their best interest. One of the best choices that you can make as a consumer is to make those purchases with conscious thought and realize that the spending those dollars on food is in an investment in your health and wellness. A favorite saying of mine comes from Hippocrates – think of the Hippocratic Oath taken by every doctor and medical practitioner –  “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” If we make the choice to put better food in our body, then our bodies will be less likely to develop disease. One thing that we can do quite easily is be aware of our chemical intake and look to buy foods free of pesticides, growth hormones and antibiotics. The Environmental Working Group publishes a great list of the top worst foods to buy non-organic and the top foods least likely to have high pesticide residual. Check it out. http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary/