The U.S. Department of Agriculture found that even after washing, some fruits and vegetables consistently carry much higher levels of pesticide residue than others. Based on an analysis of more than 100,000 U.S. government pesticide test results, researchers at the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a research and advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C., have developed the “dirty dozen” fruits and vegetables, above, that they say you should always buy organic, if possible, because their conventionally grown counterparts tend to be laden with pesticides. They cost about 50 percent more — but are well worth the money.

Fruit:
Apples
Cherries
Grapes, imported (Chili)
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Raspberries
Strawberries

Vegetables:
Bell peppers
Celery
Potatoes
Spinach

Reduce the risk of exposure to the agent believed to cause mad cow disease and minimize exposure to other potential toxins in non-organic feed. These foods contain no hormones, and antibiotics — which have been linked to increased antibacterial resistance in humans — have not been added to the food. They often cost 100 percent more than conventional products.

Organic foods worth considering:

Milk
Beef
Poultry

Herondale Organic Grass Fed Beef Besides being tender and tasty, grassfed beef is naturally much lower in fat, and thereby lower in calories than grainfed beef. While grassfed beef is low in saturated and other “bad” fat, it actually contains two to six times more omega-3 essential fatty acids, which play a vital role in overall health and well-being. Grassfed beef is also higher in cancer-fighting Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLAs), Vitamin E, and Beta Carotene.

Gluten-Free Products A gluten-free diet is recommended amongst other things in the treatment of coeliac disease and wheat allergy. It is a diet completely free of ingredients derived from gluten. This includes cereals, wheat, kamut, spelt, barley, rye, oats and triticale as well as the use of gluten as a food additive in the form of a flavoring, stabilizing of thickening agent. Here at Geordanes we have many Gluten Free options.

Fair Trade Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach to alleviating global poverty and promoting sustainablilty. The movement advocates the payment of a fair price as well as social and environmental standards in areas related to the production of a wide variety of goods. Geordanes is a proud server of fair trade coffee, chocolates and grains.

Ronnybrook Farm Milk It's old-fashioned whole milk. The way the cow delivers it. All our milk is pasteurized to kill off any bacteria, but our whole milk is not homogenized, allowing the cream to rise to the top. That's why we call it CreamlineTM. You can spoon the cream off for your coffee and be left with natural skim milk or shake it up for creamy whole milk. Non-homogenized milk is simply better tasting. Non-homogenized milk is also pasteurized at lower temperatures. Ultra-pasteurization, which involves the heating of milk at high temperatures, destroys vital vitamins and enzymes such as galactase (which aids in the absorption of calcium) and lipase (which causes milk fat to self destruct after the body absorbs its fat-soluble nutrients). Ultra-pasteurized milk is simply less nutritious than regular pasteurized milk.