Food Dilemma? Grill Melissa
I would love to buy all organic fruits and vegetables but money is tight right now. If I had to choose a few, which fruits and vegetables are most important to buy organic?
This a question I frequently get asked, and with growing consensus from researchers on the levels of pesticides in our food supply, it is important to know which fruits and vegetables contain the highest level of chemicals. The Environmental working group puts out a list of the dirtiest fruits and vegetables, also known as the “dirty dozen.” If you have a limited budget, splurge on organic when buying these:Apples
Cherries
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Red raspberries
Strawberries
Save your money and stick with conventional when buying the “Cleanest 12.”
Pineapples
Mango
Kiwi
Bananas
Broccoli
While it can be difficult to buy all organic fruits and veggies, especially in this economy, it is recommended that children and pregnant women stick to a diet consisting of mostly organic produce since exposure to these toxic chemicals can have long lasting effects in these populations.
Check out www.ewg.com for the complete list.
My son doesn’t get a lot of protein in his diet. He just got into eating soy chicken nuggets? Is it the same amount of protein? Do you recommend them for children?
If your child is a vegetarian or a picky meat eater, soy chicken nuggets can be a great protein source. They typically contain the same amount of protein as your “real” chicken nugget. Just read the label and choose brands that don’t contain a laundry list of preservatives. Health is Wealth makes a great chicken free nugget, as well as regular chicken nuggets, made with whole wheat flour and canola oil. Applegate Farms is another good brand that is antibiotic free.
Other non-meat sources of protein include beans, tofu, edamame, nuts, nut butters, eggs and low fat dairy (cheese, milk, and yogurt). A grilled cheese sandwich, a peanut butter sandwich or a yogurt smoothie are all protein packed meals that might please your picky protein eater.
My two girls love having soup for dinner. Is there a healthy soup that doesn’t involve cream that kids will like?
Soup can be a very healthy meal for kids, but skipping ones with cream is a smart move. Creamy soups tend to have a lot of saturated fat, which is the kind of fat we need to limit.
Imagine and Pacific soups are great and they have a lot of vegetable purees, such as creamy butternut squash and creamy chicken soup.
Amy’s also makes great soups, including an Organic Alphabet soup that is kid friendly.
If the above brands don’t please your kids, Campbell’s also rolled out a line of kid’s soups that are broth based and have fun labels, such as Dora the Explorer and Shrek and contain noodles that are shaped like the characters on the label.
To complete the meal, you can add frozen peas or cooked carrots to give some soups a veggie boost. If the protein content is low, you can add chopped up chicken or meatballs to round out the meal.
