Should You Wash Organic Produce?

Eating conventionally grown produce — you know, the regular fruits and vegetables you see at the market — that has been sterilized, irradiated and washed with bleach sounds a lil’ scary to me. I’m no farmer, and I’m no molecular scientist, but I do know it doesn’t sound right to touch our lips to foods that have touched ammonia. I don’t think it’s crazy that some people wash their triple washed greens, just to be extra safe. My skepticism of how we grow and get our food led me to my longtime love of organics. Lately I’ve been getting questions about how important it is to wash our organic produce, so I’m tackling that today. {Tweet this} Personally, I buy organic produce and products as much as possible. There are antioxidant benefits in organics that conventional produce doesn’t share, but even if that wasn’t the case, we know organic is better for the earth and I try to do my part to take care of mamma nature as much as a city girl can. None of us like to think about it too much, but if you’re up on the news, you know that eating unwashed, organic produce may be carrying traces of pesticides from warehouses and wind drift, bacteria from insects and harvesting and even food borne illnesses that could cause long lasting damage to your health. You also know that one benefit to eating organically is that some of the friendly bacteria found in organic soil is really good for promoting healthy gastrointestinal flora. Hmmmm. Conundrum. So should you wash your organic produce? The short answer is yes. Roll up your sleeves and spend the extra few givin’ a little scrub a dub to your grapes in the tub. Wash all of your produce in cold water to get rid of the soil, microbes and pesticides that may be clinging to them. Those bad boys are known to do some damage and can make you pretty sick. Even organic produce can become contaminated with pesticides — the regulations for organic only covers how the produce is grown, and cross contamination can happen through wind drift from conventional farms nearby, in transport, storage, and bins at the markets. If your veggies aren’t cleaning up with H2O alone, you can use a little white vinegar and give a gentle rub to really do the trick. There is a big renaissance movement towards going out of your way to eat organic dirt, as it is touted for organic compounds and minerals believed to support digestion, immunity and well being. It may sound gross, and I’d be hard pressed to find gourmet soil served up at the best 5 star restaurants, but all the other animals in nature eat it, and it doesn’t seem too far fetched to think human nature could benefit from a little soil in our otherwise sterile diets. If our food is too clean, and our GI tracts aren’t introduced to some friendly bacteria, our immune systems suffer. So, a little “clean and organic” dirt is actually a good thing. {Tweet this} You’ll have to decide for yourself peops. For me, it’s washed organics, but if I’m pickin’ organic strawberries, apples or grapes, and there’s no sink in sight, I’ll tell myself it’s OK to eat ‘em dirty. It may even be good for me!

Are Your Healthy Habits Being Blocked By Digestion?

By Ashley Koff, RD You are what you eat, well, not quite… On your path to a nutritious life you’ve been learning about all the great foods you can and should eat. Keri and her team are amazing at coming up with fun and delicious ways to get these foods into you for a healthier, happier you (and family). Are you eating your kale and quinoa, drinking your water with lemon, and using coconut oil on your bod and in the pan? These things are amazing for you IF they get where they need to go in the body. And that, my friends, is where so many of us have problems these days.  Last week, as us RD gals caught up, I shared “I know they say ‘you are what you eat’ but I say ‘ you are what you digest and absorb’” to which Keri said “love it! Will you guest blog for me and explain why.” So here I go: Did you know our digestive lining is meant to be like mesh (think panty hose) but many of us have the start of a run or worse, have runs that aren’t just letting some skin show through – they are actually letting the nutrients we want in our digestive tract to “leak” out along with stuff we should be eliminating too – this is creating a hot mess of intolerances, skin irritation, bloating, and suboptimal nutrient absorption. But if I eat right and exercise, why would this be happening? Stress – even the good ‘I did a triathlon’ or ‘I birthed a baby’ stress – is often the culprit, along with medications we took when we needed (antibiotics, steroids, birth control) and those unfortunately coming in by way of our adulterated food and water (we know today to choose antibiotic-free meats and dairy but most of us have been consuming it for far longer than not). UGH! So what can I do and does it mean I have to buy a whole new digestive tract? LOL! No. But we do need to start today to add to all the smart Nutritious Life steps, the step called – repair work – as in ‘How to heal and promote a healthy digestive tract’.   This begins with an assessment – ideally monthly – to see how things are or are not moving, and how they are or are not smelling.   If there’s something going on all the time, you would do best to talk to an RD or MD who knows about digestive issues ASAP. But for all of us who just feel we need and want to optimize our digestion to get all the benefits that go along with it (better energy, healthy immune system, healthy skin, and better body composition results – think bye bye belly fat) when combined with optimal nutrition, fitness, and sleep, we can consider adding the nutrients that work together for optimal digestion.  Symbiotics combine nutrients such as Lactoferrin, Immunoglobulins, and Proline-Rich Polypeptides – which are big words for nutrients the body uses to promote a robust intestinal lining and healthy intestinal flora – net, net, think of it as beyond the nail polish you would use to stop a run, it’s the goods that deliver a whole new pair of pantyhose without you having to go to the trouble of getting a new pair! So consider that while we love an organic kale juice and water with lemon, part of a Nutritious Life is making sure your body gets the great nutrition you are bringing into it.