Why You Should Go Organic with These 4 Common Spring Fruits

As the warm weather and Cherry blossoms begin to appear in some states, it's already become apparent that Spring has definitely sprung. And what goes better with Spring than the Spring harvest which provides a bountiful feast of fruits and vegetables unique to the season? Enjoying the healthiest produce is becoming easier than before due to greater access to organic grocers and farmer's markets. This is useful in helping us to select foods with minimal or zero pesticides and other toxic elements added.

This is even more important because according to the Environmental Working Group , four fruits commonly enjoyed during the Spring season are very susceptible to absorbing pesticides. These fruits are amongst a list of 47 fruits which were analyzed using 87,000 tests for pesticides after the fruit sample was either rinsed or peeled.

These pesticide tests were conducted between 2000-2007 by the US Department of Agriculture and The Food and Drug Administered. The highest score a food could get for pesticide content was 100.

Here they are:

1. Peaches:- Score: 100
Found to have the highest quantity of pesticides-Scored the maximum of 100
When choosing: Look for those with a little give and a nice aromatic smell. A ripe peach radiates an undeniable perfumed scent. Remember that peaches rot easily and should be purchased in quantities to be used quickly.

2. Nectarines: Score: 81
Belongs to the same family as the peach.
Choose those that are not too hard and are free of cracks or spots.

3. Strawberries: Score: 80
When choosing look for firm, glossy and rich colored strawberries. Also the leafy green leaves at the top of the strawberry should be intact. Because the skins of these delectable fruits are so fragile, be sure to check the fruit at the bottom of the basket since they are being weighed down by those at the top.

4. Cherries Score: 73
When choosing go for the dark red, almost black Bings which have high quantities of resveratrol and anthocyanins. The stems of the cherry should beable to bend without breaking.

Other warm weather fruits which were on the list, but do not score high for pesticide content are Watermelon: Score: 26, Pineapple: Score: 7 and Mango: Score: 9. However, apples, which are an all year round fruit, not necessarily a Spring/Summer fruit scored high at 93 right after peaches. So it would be good to consider selecting organic apples as well.

Purchasing the organic versions of the highest scoring foods for pesticides is a good way to consume healthier, more wholesome fruits.


Sources: Environmental Working Group: Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides;
The Visual Food Lover’s Guide, QA International



To Your Enjoyable and Guilt-Free Food Experiences,

Have You Had Your Dried Fruit Today?

Raisins and other dried fruits provide a nutritious, filling snack and make for a great addition to recipes. Dried fruits are especially appealing as they count towards our fruit serving for the day and provide concentrated amounts of fiber. Raisins, apricots, and dates are also good sources of iron. For dried fruits, one nutrient which would be reduced during the drying process is Vit. C.

It must however be remembered that dried fruits also contain concentrated amounts of calories for the same quantity as their fresh fruit counterparts. For example 1 cup of grapes vs. 1 packed cup of raisins has about 100 calories and about 500 calories respectively. Therefore, one must be mindful of this and exercise portion control when consuming raisins or other dried fruits as a snack or part of a meal.

Some dried fruits are treated with sulphur dioxide to preserve the color, but I personally prefer those without such a preservative. Sulfur is not really necessary and it makes the fruits less wholesome. Newman's Own Organics Dried fruit is a line containing no sulfites and you can find other varieties of organic dried fruits in the Natural/Gourmet Food store which also are free of sulfites. Trader Joe's also carry some unsulfured dried fruit varieties.

Dried fruits are so versatile that it really makes sense to find ways to incorporate them into daily meals as much as possible. Enjoy this Free Collection of Cookbooks from Sun Maid Raisins dating from the vintage versions from the earliest years of the company to the ones from the most recent years. For some of these recipes you could mix up the raisins with other types of dried fruits or replace them all together with different dried fruits.




To Your Enjoyable and Guilt-Free Food Experiences,