10 Foods that Are Better to Buy Organic

Buying organic is good for your health and beneficial for the planet, but not all fruits and vegetables respond to organic farming practices in the same ways. Some foods are just as clean and healthy when not farmed organically, and in these cases you may want to save the extra pennies by opting to buy non-organic. For example, vegetables with thick skins—such as avocados, pineapple, mangoes, oranges, and bananas—usually aren’t affected either way by organic practices. To help you get a better sense of what types of fruits and vegetables most benefit from organic farming, here are a few items that experts recommend buying organic.

1. Celery: Celery works very much like a straw and is highly absorbent of any liquids that are in the soil and atmosphere. This means that whenever there are pesticides or other chemicals used in celery farming, those celery stalks are going to suck it right up. And the worst part is that these toxins can’t be washed off.

2. Strawberries: Non-organic strawberries have a few points counting against them. For one thing, because strawberries have a relatively short growing season, they’re often shipped in long-distance from foreign countries, where organic food regulations may not be the same (not to mention the increased carbon footprint resulting from the shipping). Also, many non-organic strawberries growers add captan, a fungicide that had been shown to contribute to cancer.

3. Peaches: Numerous studies of the most pesticide-tainted foods have placed peaches at the top due to their spongy texture and very thin skin, which presents a very ineffective barrier to outside chemicals. Non-organic peaches have the highest concentrations of organophosphate (an insecticide) and iprodione (a fungicide), both of which can be harmful to humans.

4. Bell peppers: Bell peppers also have very thin skins. And while they aren’t quite as absorbent as peaches, they do tend to suck up chemicals from the surrounding air and soil, and this puts them near the top of the list when it comes to chemical-tainted non-organic produce.

5. Pears: Many fruits are consistently subjected to stronger and stronger pesticides over the years as each successive generation of insects grows more resistant to the chemicals. Non-organic pears are among those fruits that now receive a harsh chemical drubbing. One study found that a typical non-organic pear is covered in 28 separate pesticides, and this only gets worse with time.

6. Leafy vegetables: Because most leafy greens grow close to the ground, they tend to get treated with large doses of insecticides to keep away pests that live on the ground. While there’s nothing wrong with keeping vegetables clean, many corporate farms have taken this to unreasonable levels, dousing their vegetables in huge amounts of chemicals. In the case of leafy greens, these chemicals can be hard to wash out of the wrinkled and pored surfaces.

7. Nectarines: Nectarines are very similar to peaches in that their skin is very thin and their pulp very absorbent. It doesn’t help that a typical nectarine is routinely treated with 33 different pesticides, which should be considered overkill by any rational standard. And because the fruit is so absorbent, you can’t just wash these things away. Any time you eat a nonorganic nectarine, you can bet that you’re putting lots of chemicals into your body.

8. Apples: The apple industry is huge, and in many areas it is controlled by huge factory-farming companies that have mastered the practices of keeping apples free of pests and physical flaws. A side effect of this is that a typical nonorganic apple is coated in a thick waxy residue that permeates through the fruit’s skin and is circulated through the insides. You can feel the waxy residue just by picking up any apple at the store, and unfortunately merely washing the apple doesn’t make it all better.

9. Blueberries: Blueberries have increasingly been touted as a superfood in health-food circles, which has led many produce companies to work to increase their yields of blueberries. As a result, many companies are exploring new ways to keep these fruits pest-free. The unfortunate side effect is that, according to a U.S. study, nonorganic blueberries are now treated with over 50 chemicals.

10. Potatoes: Potatoes are among the most chemically treated food plants due the relatively robust types of pests and fungi that grow where potatoes live (i.e., underground). Nonorganic potatoes can be hard to grow, which usually makes them much more expensive, but they’re worth the investment for the cleanliness factor.

Important Tips To Know Before You Start Your Diet

Many people ruin their chances at dieting before they really even have a chance to fully immerse themselves in the process. Because there are many people that have such a dislike for dieting, they have the tendency to create mental traps and barriers that will make the entire dieting process harder than it has to be. It has become very evident that before people even begin their diets they are planning to fail by caving into their desires for foods they know will derail their entire weight loss plan.

Despite the fact that so many people begin a diet with plans to change their eating habits in an effort to eat healthier or lose weight, many people self-sabotage their dieting efforts almost immediately. It is very commonplace for people to believe that they have to eat every food they love before beginning a diet since these foods are off limits once the diet begins. This is not true at all. People can eat the foods they love and still maintain a desirable weight by learning how to set limits on the amount of foods they consume.

In order for people to reap the benefits of any diet that they undertake they have to develop a new relationship with food both mentally and emotionally. People think that food is something they need to fight against, but this is not true at all. Even the foods that many consider to be “bad” for you but good to eat should not be avoided. All foods can be enjoyed, but individuals have to accept personal responsibility for the way they choose to consume food. If people choose to consume lots of foods that are high in fat and calories on a regular basis as opposed to eating healthier options this is an issue that needs to be addressed. The food is not the problem; people are the problem when they choose not to take responsibility for the type and the quantity of foods that they consume.

When individuals fail to eat a balanced diet that consists of the necessary servings of fruits, vegetables, meats and grains that are needed on a daily basis the body lacks the vitamins and minerals that are needed for proper functioning. When people feel that they are malnourished this is because they are not receiving the nutrients the body needs to work properly. By consuming a well balanced diet, people will feel satisfied and there is less of a chance that individuals will want to eat foods that are less healthy on a splurge. By having a well balanced diet individuals are more likely to eat other foods in moderation.

Another issue that is very common is the amount of food that people eat. All too often people eat too much of a particular food at one sitting. Our culture is very keen on promoting the fact that bigger is better. People can go in any restaurant and be presented with the option to purchase large portions of food. Learning portion control is one of the most valuable assets for anyone that is trying to lose weight or stay on a diet. Bigger is not always better when it comes to food.

If people were to see dieting as a chance to improve their overall health instead of as a laborious chore that involves self-deprivation more individuals would be successful in maintaining a diet and keeping the weight off. Losing weight should be a positive experience that is geared towards overall health improvement. There will be times when it will be difficult to stick to a diet. However, people should remind themselves of all the health benefits that will occur as a result of their dedication. People should focus on the fact that they are improving their health, losing undesirable weight and gaining more self-confidence with a new figure.

Although dieting is about improving health and reaching a desired weight, people should remember not to deprive themselves of food that they enjoy. Being on a diet does not mean that people have to totally avoid the foods that they like. Dieting individuals have to learn self-control and find a happy medium between eating healthy and enjoying the occasional treat. Overall, obtaining results from a diet involves a combination of eating healthy foods in moderate portions, enjoying the occasional indulgence in moderation and engaging in daily physical exercise.

Adopting a healthier diet in order to lose weight and improve health does not have to be a difficult experience. Dieting individuals can have the occasional treat if they want as long as they do so with moderation. For those people that feel that small indulgences will end their diet, they should just adhere to a strict diet. Those individuals that are capable of maintaining a combination of daily exercise and healthy eating with the occasional treat will find that they are able to have far more success maintaining their diets and losing weight.

Eating Your Way to a Healthy Heart

The heart is the wellspring of life, therefore, you need to take good care of it if you want to live a long and quality life. While all the organs in the body are essential for bodily function, there’s no doubt that the heart, along with the brain, is considered the most essential organ. There are many factors that contribute to the overall state of your heart, but perhaps it is your diet that plays the biggest role in keeping it healthy. Coronary heart disease and other cardiovascular diseases are actually a result of a poor diet aside from a lack of physical activity.

You are what you eat, and if you eat mostly fatty foods and foods high in cholesterol and saturated fats, there’s a huge chance for you to develop chronic heart diseases the moment you reach your middle years. If you keep on neglecting your heart like this, you can end up dead even before your time, so make sure you choose carefully what types of food to eat that will help keep heart disease at bay.

Foods that are high in cholesterol are no-no if you want to maintain the health of your heart. Bad cholesterol or low density lipoprotein (LDL) carries cholesterol to cells and tissues and can stick to artery walls. When this happens, it builds up and become plaques, which later on constrict the heart and cause the walls to rupture. When a rupture occurs, so does a blood clot that stops blood from flowing into the heart and result to a heart attack.

Foods high in LDL usually come from animal sources. Sausage, bacon, and other foods made from pork or beef have high levels of LDL and should be consumed occasionally and in small amounts. By reducing your intake of LDL-rich foods, you can significantly cut your risk for any kind of heart ailments.

However, it is also important to understand that while there is such a thing as bad cholesterol, there is also good cholesterol know as HDL or high density lipoprotein. It actually helps get rid of cholesterol from artery walls, which is the main reason why we want to eat foods that raise our good cholesterol. It also helps the liver release cholesterol by binding to the scavenger receptor-BI.

In short, HDL or good cholesterol is simply imperative if you are to keep your heart in perfect condition at all times, and the higher its level in your body, the better. Walnuts, apples, garlic, salmon, blueberries, grapes, and alcohol from wine are some of the best food sources that help boost up the body’s HDL level.

Aside from cholesterol, you should also watch out for your fat intake. Like cholesterol, there are also two kinds of fat: the good fat, also known as non-saturated fat, and the bad fat, also known as saturated fat. Saturated fat are called bad fat simply because they raise the level of cholesterol in the body. We learned earlier that a high level of cholesterol can lead to several heart problems so you have to be aware of the foods that contain saturated fats.

You may not realize it but you are exposed to foods that are high in saturated fat on a daily basis. Just as bad cholesterol come from animal sources, so do bad fat. Fatty beef, pork, lamb, chicken skin, lard, butter, cream, cheese and other dairy products, and most processed foods are considered high in saturated fat and should be consumed in relatively small amounts.

You should, however, load up with fiber-rich foods. Fiber are known to be good regulators of blood pressure in the body and help lower bad cholesterol. People who include more fiber in their diet have been found to have a lower risk for heart attack and stroke. Good sources of fiber include most fruits and vegetables.

Aside from fiber, you should also consume more foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 is considered as a good fat and can greatly reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease. It doesn’t only prevent blood clots in artery walls but also help lower bad cholesterol.
Always keep in mind that what you eat will determine whether you will have a healthy heart or not, so make sure you stick to a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and other heart-healthy foods.