Well, who knew?

"The Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen cheat sheet, created by mom and foodie Heidi Kenney, is a the size of a business card. On it, a host of smiling and frowning fruits and veggies tell cheat sheet owners which fruits are pesticide-laden—"always buy organic"—and which are safer in moments when organic isn't available."

HANDY!! All the more reason for me to eat my favorites: sweet potatoes, mangoes, watermelon, papayas, avocados, broccoli, and bananas!!

However, I'm just a little bummed cherries are on the "pesticide-ridden" list - but it gives me an excuse to eat deliciously plump and juicy organic ones. It makes sense, especially since the "dirty dozen" list are the produce that seem most readily available in North America. Agricultural mass production becomes cheaper if the means it which it is grown, processed and shipped takes detours that aren't necessarily healthy (boo.)

The little fruit icons are also memorably cute. Clever, huh?

It kind of reminds me of everyone who lives in Berkeley, California. I stayed there for about two weeks near the end of May / the beginning of April -- they have a grocery store called "The Berkeley Bowl" which has the most overwhelmingly stocked produce section - most of which is organic or locally grown. Their farmer's markets are cheaper, their vegetables are amazing, so most of the people who live there ACTUALLY look like Super HEROES. Their physiques are creepily healthy and fit.     Possibly due to the healthy amounts of produce they consume - MINUS all the chemicals?

I think so.

But really, what can you do if your local supply is more expensive and not as organic as your personally see fit? Well, cook your own meals (or at least, realize that vegetables and produce in general have an amazing culinary potential, from grilling, to roasting, steaming, baking, frying, tempuraing) - you can go from  your mostly carnivorous ways to compromising to omnivorous  ;). I always try to have some vegetables with my meals - and funny enough, since I've gotten used to it, a meal without any always feel unwhole!

Share your favorite vegetable dish with me!

Mine is: roasted brocolli with lemon, garlic and parmesan. Good times at the HBC with that little appetizer.

- drool -