The EWG has just released their 2017 Shoppers Guide to Pesticides in Produce™. I know what you're thinking. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. But this is one list that's good to stay on top of. This is the list of the top 12 fruits and vegetables that contain the highest loads of pesticide residue (aka- buy these foods organic when possible).
For the second year in a row, strawberries has topped #1 on the list of highest pesticide residue. Apples, tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, grapes and potatoes also top the list. Pears hit the Dirty Dozen for the first time.
Because many families in the HKI community work to avoid pesticides as much as possible, we built the Dirty Dozen™ list into their auto-populated grocery list. If potatoes hit your shopping list for the week, an "organic" notation will appear beside that item to remind you that you might want to purchase organic. The image below is a sample of an auto-populated shopping list from the HKI meal planner. Now families can confidently create their shopping list and head out the door knowing that your meal planner will tell you if/when to purchase organic.
As always, a great way to avoid any concerns about whether your family is eating the healthiest vegetables is to simply grow them. The single most unique feature in the HKI meal planner is that we show you exactly how to grow your own foods.
Some of our families in FL, CA, and TX are able to begin planting outdoors now. Other families in WV and NJ won't be ready to plant outdoors until early May. It gets confusing and a single state can have multiple growing zones based on their elevation and climate. That's why we built technology right into the meal planner to do the work for you.
The biggest question we always get is "how much should I plant to feed my family?"
There are a lot of variables to that question, but below is a handy planting guide that we created to help you with your planning. This can be adjusted based on your family's needs. If everyone in your family loves zucchini, then 4-5 zucchini plants will be needed to feed the entire family. If only one person likes zucchini, then just one plant will be suffice. Once you know how much to plant, then turn to the Healthy Kids Inc seed-to-table meal planner to walk you through when (and how) to get started based on your growing location.
