Avoid 'Dirty Dozen' when planning holiday feast

PRIME – December 2013 By Jonathan Evans Herbal Information Specialist, the Herbarium Happy Holidays to all! Though this is a season of joy, I am compelled to play the Grinch this month, and put a damper on the festivities. I am writing this part of the article as a public service. Perhaps many of you missed the stories earlier this year on the Environmental Working Group's (EWG) updated list of pesticide-laden produce, and their potential impact on our health. I hope the information will help you as you are out gathering good things to eat and serve your guests. Many of us will be looking to serve fresh fruits and vegetables in the midst of winter, and that is a good thing. The problem arises when you take into consideration that most of the fresh fruit is grown outside the United States, and even the produce from the U.S. is heavily sprayed with pesticides. So for your protection, here is the EWG's list of the "Dirty Dozen" – the most pesticide-laden produce in your supermarket. On that list are: celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, domestic blueberries, nectarines, sweet bell peppers, spinach, kale, collard greens, cherries, potatoes, imported grapes, and lettuce. The "Dirty Dozen," when conventionally grown, tested positive for at least 47 different chemicals with some testing as high as 67 chemicals! Worse yet, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) compiled this data on the amount of residue found after the produce has been washed using high-powered pressure water systems. This list was compiled by the EWG – which is an organization of scientists, researchers and policy makers – for the President's Cancer Panel. The EWG recommends buying organic as much as possible, and washing your produce. Do not delude yourself into thinking you will remove all the pesticides but it will help cut down on your consumption of these chemicals. All is not lost, however; so don't get your knickers in a twist. Below is a list of the EWG's "Clean 15", the non-organic produce that bore little or no trace of pesticides. This list includes onions, avocados, sweet corn, pineapples, sweet peas, asparagus, kiwi fruit, cabbage, cantaloupe, eggplant, watermelon, grapefruit, sweet potatoes and sweet onions. Yes, I know this is only 14, but you get the point. When you look at the pesticide issue, then add the fact that conventionally grown fruit and vegetables are lacking in nutrient values, it becomes almost holy writ that you buy as much organic as possible. In case you do not know, organic material such as compost returns the minerals to the earth, thereby giving the vegetables something to absorb and incorporate into itself, and then passing that nutrition on to you. Non-organic produce is force fed nitrogen heavy fertilizer which will produce a large vegetable, but one in which the nutrient content is very low. I am not making this up. It has been known since the late 1920s that the land was exhausted. Winter weather tip It is time again to inform some and remind others of a simple way to stay warm in the cold weather. This is information that you should pass on to anyone who has to spend any amount of time outside, such as members of the police and fire departments, postal workers, water department employees, construction workers, or crossing guards to name a few. Before you venture outside, sprinkle some cayenne pepper (Capsicum annuum) into your shoes or boots, and then slip your stocking feet in. This simple, inexpensive step will keep your feet toasty warm for hours. Cayenne is a rubefacient, meaning it draws blood to the surface. Even if your feet get wet later on, you will still have nice warm feet. Try it – you'll like it. Powdered ginger will also work in a similar fashion. An essential oils warning Lastly, I need to say something about essential oils and some multi-level marketing groups advancing the idea that ingesting essential oils is a safe thing to do because "they are natural." This is wrong – wrong and also dangerous! My wife, Kathleen Duffy, is a certified clinical aromatherapist and instructor. She has taught at medical facilities all over the United States as well as in Europe. The program she presents is the only program approved by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing and is the template for more than 26 other states. This means a nurse is protected under her license in using aromatherapy, only if she has taken this program. Anyone suggesting the ingestion of essential oils is someone who is sadly and badly informed. Do not, under any circumstance, ingest these oils. Who do you want to believe? Someone who wants to take your money, or someone concerned about your health? Here's to a safe – and healthy – holiday season, – Jonathan Please send your questions on botanical remedies to Natures Rx: Jonathan Evans via email at herbarium258@gmail.com, or by regular mail to: The Herbarium, 264 Exchange St., Chicopee, Mass. 01013. If requesting additional information from Evans, please include a self-addressed stamped envelope.