Smart Meals

It's now easier to send Smart Meals a message.

It's important to understand how food is grown and animals are reared as it affects both nutrient content and hormone/pesticide levels. Eating organic when possible reduces our exposure to toxins. It's a personal decision on whether to buy organic and everyone has their own criteria including budget and availability. I chose to buy organic the foods that we eat in large quantities. Children eat and drink more pound for pound than adults and their diets are limited to a few foods. As a result they may be exposed to more contaminants than we are. In a study that compared the difference between conventional foods and organic foods found that preschool children who had conventional foods had more exposure to organophosphorous (OP) pesticides (2). The research deduced that consumption of organic produce appeared to provide a relatively simple way for parents to reduce their childrens exposure to these pesticides. And in a separate study having organic foods significantly lowered the children's exposure to OP pesticides (3). It was therefore intuitive to assume that children whose diets consisted of organic food items would have a lower probability of neurologic health risks, a common toxicologic mechanism of the OP pesticide class.

Produce can be called organic if its certified to have been grown on soil that hasn't been treated with synthetic fertilizers or sewage sludge. The crops cannot be genetically modified or irradiated. Organic meat regulations require that animals must be fed with only organically grown feed (without animal by-products) and animals cannot be treated with synthetic hormones or antibiotics. The animals must have access to the outdoors, and ruminants (hoofed animals) must have access to pasture. Animals cannot be cloned or genetically modified.

The Environmental Working Group publishes many useful guides including the "Safe Produce Guide" which lists the Dirty Dozen. These are the 12 Most Contaminated Fruits and Vegetables which include apples, celery, tomatoes, cherries, grapes, nectarines, peaches, spinach and strawberries.

It's important to wash your produce to get rid of any residues. We all know we need to be careful when handling meat and fish, however produce can also cause food borne illnesses. This is because it could be contaminated by animals, poor hygiene among workers and harmful substances in soil and water.

You've probably already heard the many reasons for choosing organic foods. Organic foods are free of harmful chemicals, have more nutrients and better flavor, and help keep harmful agricultural pesticides and fertilizers out of our water. Yet, buying all organic produce can put a serious dent in your wallet.

In general, foods with thin skins-or skins that are commonly eaten-are good candidates for buying organic.
1. Strawberries. Strawberries have a large surface area. Combined with all the tiny bumps on that surface, it is quite hard to truly wash pesticides off. Similarly, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, apples, cherries, grapes, peaches, nectarines and pears are usually eaten with their skins on. The non-organic versions will have been treated with multiple pesticides when being grown.
2. Milk. About 17% of dairy cows are treated with the hormone rBST (or rBGH), which increases a hormone called insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1). An elevation IGF-1 in humans has been associated with an increased risk of cancer. It's not clear if milk from cows treated with rBST elevates IGF-1 in humans, but be on the safe side and pick up milk that's labeled rBGH-free, rBST-free, or is produced without artificial hormones.
3. Celery. Like fruits, celery ranks high in contamination from pesticides. Celery stalks are very porous, so they retain the pesticides they're sprayed with. Other common vegetables that scored high in pesticides include bell peppers, spinach and potatoes.
4. Beef. As with milk, hormones given to cattle have been tied to cancer in humans. Buy beef that's been certified organic by the USDA.
5. Leafy greens. As with fruits that are eaten with their skins on, spinach, lettuce, kale and mustard greens are sprayed with numerous pesticides. Like celery, the pesticides can seep into leaves where it is impossible to remove.
6. Potatoes and carrots. Even though potatoes and carrots are grown underground, they still contain high amounts of pesticides. In 2006, the USDA found that 81% of potatoes contained pesticides even after being washed and peeled. Carrots are similar.

Have you been looking for viable commercial opportunities? One of the most interesting options right now is an organic food delivery business. With more and more Americans focusing on eating a healthy diet, organic food is in demand.

Organic food sales are picking up in a big way. PRNewswire has released results of a survey on the eating habits of Americans for 2018. Close to 67% of consumers now choose nutritious foods when shopping for groceries. They want foods that are free of preservatives, chemicals, added sugar, trans fats, and other harmful ingredients.

Further, 47% of shoppers check labels of products carefully for added sugars and avoid buying them. Moreover, 37% of Americans are likely to reject products that contain artificial and chemical food colors or additives. What's more, both men and women are conscious about buying foods that are sustainably produced. Patrick Moorhead is the chief marketing officer at Label Insight. He reveals to PRNewswire, "It is no surprise that the majority of consumers are asking brands and retailers to provide more insight and clarity about their products. With so many Americans seeking healthy and socially conscious food, knowing what is in it and how it is processed is a more important selling point now than ever." Given this scenario, an organic food delivery business may be the best idea. That's because your target audience is ready to purchase the products you offer them.

The FSSAI stated self-certification of turnover of small natural producers & aggregators would be taken into consideration. On the other hand, kingdom meals safety officers were asked to look at if the restrictions of contaminants and insecticide stay in keeping with the regulations are being accompanied. They have additionally been asked to test if there is any misuse of this provision. The explosion of the natural marketplace inside the beyond few years has been hard to miss. Organic used to be a label left for a small percent of results and veggies, but now natural labels are being slapped on the entirety: our meat, milk, eggs, cheese, even macaroni and cheese, cereal, and crackers. As quickly as its popularity rose, purchasers are purchasing natural less due to its lofty charge tag in the midst of this financial crisis. There is a sort of stigma on shopping nonorganic products nowadays, inflicting those looking to shrink their finances to sense they are eating lower pleasant or much less nutritious meals. If this is you, examine on and breathe clean. Organic customers usually purchase organic for three reasons: to keep away from pesticides and genetically modified foods, for more advantageous freshness and niceness, and expanded health and nutrition. These are notable things to be involved in, but there are a few flaws in buying organic to satisfy this criterion. Perhaps certainly one of the biggest pushes for buying organic is that natural merchandise is raised and farmed without the use of pesticides, which many believe are dangerous to their fitness. They're chemical compounds; how can they not be proper? The United States has robust regulations on food and drinks to determine food hazards and best. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) establishes restrictions on how great deal insecticides can be used on meals at some point in developing and processing degrees. How much of those pesticides can stay for your food when you purchase it. The purpose of using insecticides on meals is to prevent, spoil, or lessen pests that eat and break the crops. The EPA assesses pesticides and pesticide stages thoroughly to make certain they're safe both for human consumption and for the surroundings as an entire. All foods ought to skip the EPA's standards for safety, or it wouldn't be on your grocery store and wouldn't get anywhere close to your family.