Nutrition Frenzy

Did you know that having a pineapple on your countertop is a symbol of hospitality and social abundance?

Pineapples are full of enzymes, particularly bromelain. Unlike most digestive enzymes, bromelain is active in an acid environment of the stomach and the alkaline environment of the small intestine. Bromelain is destroyed in the canning process and so you want to eat it fresh. Bromelain has health benefits for the whole body because it deals directly with the blood producing blood-thinning effects.

Pineapples are nature’s anti-inflammatory agent. They are beneficial for asthma, digestion, diabetes, pain, fevers, weight loss, arthritis, colds and sore throats. Fresh pineapple also contains manganese, helping the body metabolize protein and carbohydrates.

Cleansing Smoothie (Great to drink before bed, you’ll cleanse all night!)

Blend together in 3 C. of your favorite juice

one whole pineapple
one whole papaya
one whole mango
1 t. coconut oil or cream
one frozen banana (chop and freeze before hand)

(If your blender is small or not very powerful make ½ the recipe.)

My mom has always said, if you want your kids to eat fruits and vegetables put them out on the counter where they can see them. A little advertising from mother to child.
She would keep the cookies in a cupboard in the far back corner of the kitchen, out of sight out of mind kind of thing. My dad actually put a lock on the cookie cupboard so we couldn’t get into it even if they were still on the mind. Even though my brother always seemed to find a way to get it open, I think we did eat more produce when it was on display.

Today with my own kids, I try to keep a bowl of fruit on the counter. I also prep my veggies as soon as I get home from the grocery store. I wash and cut the ends off of the carrots and celery and put them in a plastic zip bag in the fridge. If they aren’t prepped the kids will pass them by when searching the fridge for a snack. I prep all my smoothie stuff too, so I can just throw it into the blender in the morning.

I can understand why some people discourage snacking between meals. I use to be one of them. But we have recently discovered low blood sugar problems in our family and have found snacking to be a life saver for some and good for us all. It’s easier to get kids to do homework when there is a snack plate in front of them.

As a general rule for snacks we try to have a protein item with a produce item.

Whole grain tortilla chips with salsa and guacamole
Kefir and sliced banana
Raw veggies and cream cheese
Apples and peanut butter
Celery and string cheese
Whole grain crackers and dried fruit
Homemade fruit leather or fruit snacks
Mozzarella cheese circles on sliced tomatoes and basil leaves
Boiled egg and raisons
Salmon dip with veggies (mix 8oz cream cheese and a can of salmon in processor)
Raw food bars (Costco has a box of the premium brand)
Yogurt covered nuts and raisons (great for Easter baskets too)
Peaches and cottage cheese
Whole grain popcorn
Smoothies
Trail mix
Homemade bread and butter

In my opinion, fermented foods should be included in the food pyramid. We all need fermented foods on a daily basis.

Most health care professionals in this country would say that the appendix in the body has no function and there is no need for it. This doesn’t make sense to me. The body is such an amazing machine, why would it have parts that serve no function. In my anatomy class in college we were told that “statistics show that only 10% of people who have their appendix out, will keep their gallbladder” If there is no correlation then why were the statistics calculated in the first place?

My Zone Therapy teacher was from Sweden and she taught that the appendix is the transition place between the small and large intestinal tract where the food gets fermented. The appendix secretes a chemical that ferments the food magnifying its nutrients before entering the large intestine. She said that if we take care of our intestinal tract then we have a fermenting system, if we do not take care of it, we have a rotting sewer system. One of the ways she said to take care of the intestinal tract and ease the burden of the appendix was to eat fermented foods each day. It is much the same as comparing rotting food with fermented food. There is a totally different outcome. Fermented consists of good bacteria or positive flora and rotting is when the bad bacteria takes over.

There are many fermented foods to eat. Kombucha is a wonderful fermented beverage that is naturally carbonated and a great alternative to soda. There is also naturally made sour kraut, pickles and olives. (I say naturally made because most of the ones in the regular grocery store are not fermented and have chemicals added to them).Raw cheeses, sour dough breads, kimchi, apple cider vinegar, and yogurt are also good choices for fermented foods.

My personal favorite is kefir. Kefir has a 2,000 year old history and is even mentioned in the Koran. It is made by fermenting milk with kefir grains. These grains are living growing cultures. The end product comes out as a sweet and sour yogurt type drink. You can make it yourself from a kefir start or buy it in a variety of flavors. You can pour it over cereal or eat it in a dish with berries or sliced bananas. Kefir is a complete protein and has essential minerals and B-vitamins. Unlike yogurt it has a very complex microflora, containing both positive and negative colonies of probiotics. It has 10 or more strains where yogurt has one or two.

Some people who are lactose intolerant are able to eat kefir because most of the lactose is naturally removed in the making and all fermented foods are in a sense pre-digested. (Easier to digest)

Former Soviet Union used it in their hospitals as medicine to treat metabolic disorders, atherosclerosis, and allergies. It has also been used to treat tuberculosis, ADHD, high cholesterol levels, chronic fatigue, Candida, and hypertension.

Even though it can be medicinal, most people just eat fermented foods just to maintain proper balance in their intestinal flora.

Click to read a true story that reads like a fairy tale about a beautiful young girl and her quest to receive kefir from a prince.

I didn’t realize I was serving green beans so often for dinner until one night, I didn’t, and my four year old daughter sat down at the dinner table and said, “Mom, you forgot the green beans”. I have been craving green beans for a while now and when I crave something, I like to eat it all the time until I’m done with it. Probably not the healthiest or most balanced way of eating. I usually sauté them in a little olive oil on the stove, but then I started eating them raw dipped in some ranch dressing and then just straight up plain.

When my daughter pointed it out to me, I decided to do a little research to see why I was craving them so much. I think the body tries to tell us what it needs through cravings. Either that or what it’s addicted to. In this case I think it was what I needed.

Green beans are great for the pancreas, liver, and gall bladder. The string bean variety is a rare source of Inositol. Inositol helps to reduce cholesterol levels and removes fats from the liver. It also calms irritability and helps with moods swings. Inositol aides in the treatment of OCD and anxiety disorders. Green beans also contain chlorophyll, fiber, calcium, copper, cobalt, Vitamin A, and B-complex.

So now I’m thinking I might plant some in the back yard. I love the way they climb up the pole and that way I can enjoy them extra fresh. Plus with all the mood benefits, my husband will be glad I’m eating them.

Kale is probably my most favorite vegetable. Its at least in the top five and I buy it more than any other veggie. It’s so beautiful that it is often used as a garnish to dress up a plate. But just because it’s beautiful doesn’t mean you can’t take it seriously. Kale is power packed with minerals. Kale is one of the best cancer fighting vegetables. Leafy greens in general lead in cancer preventatives, but Kale is the richest of all of them in carotenoids that fight cancer. Kale also is rich in A, C, riboflavin, niacin, calcium, magnesium, iron, sulfur, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, and chlorophyll. Kale is the king of calcium and the kind of calcium that is easily absorbed by the body.

Here are two recipes I got from two different friends; they are my favorite kale recipes.

Morning smoothie
(My kids love this and it’s a great way for kids to get their veggies.)

5 big leaves of black kale
1 banana
2 Cups of apple juice (The murky kind has 4 times the flavanoids as the clear kind)
blend together and then add
2 scoops of green barley juice powder
¾ cup of frozen berries (I like the triple berry from Costco)
blend again and enjoy
It should turn out to be dark purple and makes about 4 cups

Kale Casserole

Boil
2C. Chicken or vegetable broth
1 C. diced red bell pepper
1 C. corn
1 ¼ C. Basmati or Jasmine rice
1 t. Thyme

When it starts to boil, turn the heat down to low and cook for 45 minutes.

Brush 9×13 baking pan with olive oil

Place in the pan:
4 C. of fresh kale
1 ¼ C. of ricotta cheese
2/3 C. of shredded parmesan cheese
1 t. of salt
½ C. of bread or cracker crumbs

Sprinkle black pepper over the top and bake for 40 minutes.
I usually server this with fish.

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I saw an ad in a magazine that said “Stick it to ADHD”. It was advertising a medication patch for kids with ADHD to wear. I showed it to my husband and we had a good laugh. He is the special education director at the school where he works and ADHD also runs in the family
We’re not against medication or anything; it’s just that anyone, who lives with a child with ADHD, knows they aren’t going to wear a patch anywhere on their body. There nervous energy would have that thing picked off in no time. They can’t even stand having a tag in the back of their shirt tickling their neck. Some clothing companies are making tag-less shirts now and they are a big hit with kids who struggle with their nervous system.

I think the patch started with smoking and has made its way to weight loss and birth control and other medications. I can see how a company might want to jump in with what is hot and selling at the time, but they should really consider if it fits with their product. A patch that takes away the actual cigarette and all of its smoke is a great idea, but a patch for a controlled substance for your child to wear at school? Come on! To even get the drug you have to have a driver’s license at the pharmacy and there are no refills w/o actually going to the doctor’s office. What if the child shares his patch with another child at school? Concerta and Ritalin are hot buys at the high schools these days.

What about a multi-vitamin patch? That would be cool.

I shouldn’t poke fun because I am personally grateful for these medications that help so many children. Are they over used? Probably, but no one really knows the situation like the individuals and their parents.

I have some nutritional helps to offer to the ADHD sufferer and their family. Nutrition is all some need and for others it can compliment the medication while they are on it.

Green barley grass powder
Fish
Walnuts
Eggs
Avocados
Berries
Complex carbs
Removing trans fats, phosphate additives, and food dyes especially yellow
Removing allergens if they bother the individual such as chocolate, wheat, dairy, soy, citrus, nuts, and latex
Adding supplements containing free form amino acids, ginkgo, B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, GABA, and DMG.

Is MSG lurking around in your cupboards? Yeah? Me too. It’s hard to avoid MSG, even if you are consciously trying to, because it’s in so many things and it has so many names.

Monosodium glutamate is the sodium salt of glutamic acid. It usually is added to foods as a flavor enhancer. MSG does not alter taste of food; instead it enhances taste by exciting and increasing the reaction of taste buds.

Many people think it is a preservative but actually works more like a drug because it enters the neurotransmitter receptor cites, changing the perception of the person who ingests it.

And like a drug, it also has many side effects. There are glutamate receptors all over the body and so the side effects are widespread and most likely to attack the weak areas of the body. Some of the side effects include; fibromyalgia type symptoms, headaches, respiratory problems, mood swings, behavioral disorders, heart problems, and allergy type symptoms. One in three people have some kind of adverse reaction to MSG.

MSG production makes the big bucks so it isn’t likely to close up shop any time soon. But you can protect yourself by limiting it from your diet. I say limit rather than remove it because it is virtually impossible to remove it from your diet completely. Even if you are a raw vegan you can get it in some form on your fresh produce and nuts, although you should be safe with organic products.

Other names that MSG uses:

Yeast extract, sodium caseinate, hydrolyzed corn gluten, textured protein, autolyzed yeast, yeast nutrient, hydrolyzed protein, monopotassium glutamate

Ingredients that sometimes are paired with MSG:

Carrageenan, citric acid, bouillon, maltodextrin, barley malt, malt extract.
There are more names and disguises. The more natural a product is the safer you are. Some products are making it easier by advertising on the package “No MSG”. Restaurants also are catching on and listing “No MSG” on their menus.

For more info visit www.nomsg.com

Do you ever have those days when it seems like everything and everyone is getting on your nerves?

GABA short for gamma-aminobutyric acid and is an amino acid that acts as neurotransmitter. It creates the “Aaaaahhh” feeling. Kinda like sinking down into a nice warm bubble bath. People who have a beer to relax are actually seeking that GABA feeling because that’s what alcohol does. Of course there are healthier ways to get your GABA. You can even take it in supplement form.

GABA reduces anxiety keeps the nervous system from over firing. It works very much like Valium or Librium without the side effects or dependency. It can reduce alcohol and/or sugar cravings. It is generally used for ADHD, Manic episodes of bi-polar disorder, depressed sex drive, PMS, panic attacks, and high blood pressure.

Taking GABA in supplement form is considered safe but you can get too much. I suggest getting it in your diet and maybe occasional supplementation. When you get nutrients in the form of food the body has a chance to digest it, taking from the food what it needs and discarding the rest.

Some good sources of GABA are brown rice, fish, and wheat bran.

I found a company that sells germinated brown rice from Japan. Their rice has been soaked and partially sprouted. This eliminates toxins and activates dormant enzymes and vitamins and minerals making them available to the body. This rice is easier to digest. It has a kind of nutty chewy flavor. It’s my new favorite rice. It naturally has 10 times more GABA than normal white rice. You can find it at www.dhccare.com (Click on fine foods)

If you decide to supplement you can either get straight GABA or you can get glutamic acid, another amino acid. GABA can be made in the body from glutamic acid. It’s a little bit slower that way but has more benefits. 500 mg. twice a day for either of the amino acids is the recommended dose. As always with older children cut the dose in half and smaller children ¼ of the amount.

There sure is a lot of passionate talk right now about the new daylight savings time. You wouldn’t think an hour would matter that much to people, but it does. Some people get into a rhythm with their lives and they don’t want it to be upset. I don’t blame them even though I love the new daylight savings change. Rhythm is important. The whole universe is run on rhythms and cycles. The earth has its rhythms and so does your body and I’m not just talking about females.

What are the rhythms in your life? Look at them for a minute. Do you go to bed at the same time every night? Do you eat the same breakfast? Do you even eat breakfast? Do you have daily chores or tasks that almost groove to the music? What about monthly routines? Paying the bills on the first? How about seasonal traditions and holidays? I know that winter is coming when I find my mom is mourning about the end of the peach season in the late fall.

Having rhythm is a natural healthy way to achieve balance in the body. It connects you to the earth, the moon, and the people around you. You know you’re in balance when you start to crave the fruits that are just about to come into season, or when you’re period comes in each month with the full moon.

Children crave rhythm and routine. It is good for them and they feel confident when they can predict their world. Children don’t have as much control over their day as an adult might have, but if they know the routine they can make choices and know what to expect. Studies show that babies, who are fed at the same times each day, sleep better and grow better.

Some people lose weight simply by adding breakfast into their diet. I think the metabolism gets stressed out when your meals are sporadic and unpredictable. People who eat at the same times each day have more regular bowel movements as well.

My son has autism. Routine and rhythm are more important to him than any of the rest of us. We have adapted to a more routine and simple lifestyle because of his needs and have found that it has benefited us all.

A friend and teacher pointed out to me once that the whole city seems to settle into a hum when school starts. Even though it only lasts for a couple of weeks, the whole community is in sync.

So in a hectic world get some rhythm and balance back into your life. Eat the foods that are in season, get enough sleep, get a little sunshine each day, eat dinner together as a family, take note of the changing sky, enjoy the leaves in the fall, join in on the culture and community activities in which you live around, create routines and traditions in your home and family.

Finding a snack that only has 100 calories is like finding a gift for a dollar. I love this new 100 cal pack craze! I like to eat junk food now and then and these new 100 cal packs make me feel better about doing it. They’re pre packed, pre portioned, easy and fun. They’ve raised the bar on snacking in other ways besides calories. Back in the 80’s it was all about calories, now we know different. They’ve taken out the trans fats and preservatives and many are made with whole grains. Nabisco now has an organic Oreo made with whole wheat flour. The list of ingredients on these Oreos is short and simple. It could almost be classified as a real food.

A few years ago light cookies and snacks weren’t worth the bother. I’d rather have nothing than fake pretend fats and artificial sweeteners. These new packs, you get the real thing. Real fat and real sugar, just less of it.

Nabisco, I think, started this and other companies are quickly jumping on board. Keebler, Hershey, General Mills, Orville Redenbacher’s and Quaker has some that are even 90 calories. Gotta love that competition.

So what else has 100 calories?

1/2 Cup of Kefir w/ ½ Cup of berries (you can use yogurt too)
A banana
Celery w/ 1 T peanut butter or cream cheese
2 Cinnamon graham crackers
10 jelly beans
½ cup raisons
2 T sunflower seeds
A bottle of Kombucha (“The Wonder Drink” is my favorite)

Apples are perhaps the most common fruit in the world with bananas coming in at a close second. Apples and bananas are widely available all year around and are some of the more inexpensive fruits you can buy.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away right? I don’t know if you can really keep the doctor away these days, especially with all these mandatory well child visits, but there is some truth to the old saying.
Polyphenols and flavanoids are natural chemicals found in many plants. Studies show these natural chemicals have anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti bacterial, and antioxidant properties. Apples are not only rich in polyphenols but the specific polyphenols they contain are easily assimilated into the bloodstream. 22% of the phenolics (a class of polyphenols) consumed from fruits are from apples. Apples contain two polyphenols that cannot be found in any other fruit.
Apples are also known for their rich source of malic acid. Malic acid plays a major role in the production of ATP. ATP is the powerhouse or energy in the cell. Research is being done on malic acid as a treatment for fibromyalgia. People take malic acid and magnesium for pain management and fatigue.
Apples also contain about 5 grams of fiber per apple including pectin. Pectin removes heavy metals and radiation. Pectin also slows down sugar absorption being good for diabetes.
Apples are also good to lower cholesterol and aid in gallbladder function. Apples contain the minerals potassium, phosphorus, boron and calcium and vitamins A, B1, B2 and C.

So what about bananas?

Bananas were once cautioned against as an indulgence at weight watchers but are now becoming popular as Super Food.

The unique make up of sugar and amino acids in bananas help the brain make serotonin. This helps you feel satisfied and uplifts your mood.

Bananas are also good for;
PMS
Anemia
Blood Pressure
Depression
Brain power
Morning sickness
Mosquito bites. (Rub the affected area with the inside of the banana skin.)

Bananas are high in fiber and contain three different types of sugar. The sugars sucrose, fructose and glucose all contained in a banana digest differently at different speeds. This gives kind of a timed release affect of energy and brain power. This makes it ideal to have before a work out. It will sustain your workout without weighing you down.

“Lacking vitamins, the body can make some use of minerals, but if lacking minerals, vitamins are useless” – Taken from Senate Document No. 264, year 1936 74th Congress, 2nd Session.

If this is true than why do most multi supplements contain mostly vitamins and very few minerals?

One reason is that minerals can be very dangerous if given in the wrong form. Larger sized molecules of minerals are not utilized by the cells. They either Burden the liver to break them down or they stay in the body undigested and can poison the system. I would beware of any supplement that has a child safe lock on the lid.

You can actually have an excess and a deficiency of the same mineral at the same time and even die from it. Simply because you can’t digest it.

You’ve probably heard about the soil in America becoming more and more depleted of its minerals. And with that cry came several companies selling bottles of colloidal minerals. Colloidal minerals are liquid minerals from water-leached shale. The idea being that we could digest this much easier than if we were to go out and eat mineral rich dirt or rocks.

This got people thinking seriously about minerals. Yet there were a couple of problems with this. One was that other, not so safe, elements were found in this colloidal solution such as mercury and cadmium. Another issue is that the size of colloidal is still too big and burdens the liver. Colloidal Silver was especially a problem. Some people were making colloidal silver at home and having serious consequences.

“99% of the American people are deficient in minerals, and a marked deficiency in any one of the more important minerals actually results in disease.” – Also taken from Senate Document No. 264, year 1936 74th Congress, 2nd Session.

Bottom line is Yes, we need minerals to survive. Yes mineral supplementation can be dangerous. And yes getting minerals from your diet is the safest but even if you are a juicer you aren’t likely to get what you need from your diet. So what do we do?

Personally, I think the solution lies in changing the way we farm. Resting the land, replenishing the soil, flooding etc. But that isn’t going to happen anytime soon.
So for now; eat the best you can, and if you decide to supplement use ionic or angstrom size minerals so that you’re body is able to use it on a cellular level and discard the rest. Ionic minerals are supposed to be the same size as the minerals we get from fruits and vegetables.

There are a number of products now that manufacture angstrom size and or ionic minerals. Energy Images, Water OZ, Ionic-Fizz, and Isagenix are a few that I am familiar with.

Here are “some” of the functions minerals perform.

Calcium - Alkalizing, bones, muscle contraction
Magnesium - muscle relaxant, blood sugar balancer, anti-aging.
Zinc – Body odor, infections, calming, prostrate health.
Gold – Glandular health, sleep (Dangerous if bigger than angstrom)
Copper – Hair color, anti parasite.
Sulfur – Allergies, ant inflammatory, pain, anti-cancer, metabolize sugar
Platinum – energy, headaches, PMS (Dangerous if bigger than angstrom)
Chromium – Blood sugar regulator, fat burner
Vanadium – Circulatory, blood sugar
Selenium – Immunity, detoxifies liver, antioxidant
Iron – Blood oxygen
Iodine – Thyroid and metabolism
Boron – Bones, anti inflammatory
Cobalt – Nerves, blood sugar, blood building
Germanium – Cell structure
Manganese – Digestion
Molybdenum – Sexual health, circulation
Potassium – Brain fog, muscle energy, water balance, nerves

I’m pretty proud of our government’s new food pyramid. It’s snazzy with all of its customization tools to fit the needs of different individuals.

We’ve watched the U.S. food guide change from 4 squares a day to the pyramid and then onto the new and improved pyramid. We’re finally taking notice that whole wheat is different carbohydrate then a Twinkie and that trans fats are very different than fish oil.

It still seems a bit more complicated than I think it should be. Especially when it comes to children. I started laying down my own guidelines with my children a few years ago. Ones they could understand.

1. Eat real foods. Avoid fake foods.
If they have fluorescent colors - probably not real.
If you need a special dictionary to read the ingredients – probably not real.
If it fizzes when you pour it into a glass – probably not real.
2. Have a rainbow everyday (from the produce category).
3. Have a little protein and some good fats at every meal.
4. Sugar is for special occasions. Trans fats are for never.

Sure, there’s a lot more to it than that and I love to see them learn more, little by little, as they mature into adults. They don’t always follow it. Junk food is everywhere. It’s at school, at church, friend’s houses etc. But even if they just followed one of the four rules they’d be ahead of the game.

I have to admit, I don’t always go to the grocery store with a list. And even when I do, I still end up buying what looks good to me.

I love the smell of the fresh fruit stands that you see on the street in the fall. All of the fruits and veggies have such color and fragrance. Why doesn’t the produce department at the grocery store smell that way?

Color and fragrance are the finishing touches that mother earth puts on her fruits and veggies in the ripening process. That fragrance is MSM. Otherwise known as organic sulfur. Mass production and distribution of produce demands that fruits and vegetables are picked early. Harvesting before the finishing touches loses out on vital nutrients. Because of this, MSM is the now a hot item in health food stores. You can take it in capsule form or pour the powder in your smoothie. It’s the element in our fruits and veggies that give us silky shiny hair and smooth healthy skin. Not only that, it’s a natural pain killer and immune system balancer. It also helps metabolize carbohydrates and balance blood sugar. MSM is the beauty, flavor, and fragrance of the fruit and it’s what gives us our beauty as well.

I don’t know, it kind makes me think twice about my produce and a little more dedicated to growing my own garden and/or buying local.

I was checking out the organic grapes at Albertsons when an older gentleman leaned over to me and said “It’s a waste of money, they’re no different than any other grapes.” I looked at the price below and then scanned over to my right and noticed that both the organic grapes and the regular grapes were the same price that day. I thought of a few things I could say back to the man in my irritation at his assumptions of organic and also his assumptions about me. But instead I just said “I think it’s worth it.”

I remembered a few years earlier when I visited a local market down in Southern Utah. The market was located right on the farm where they grew organic apples. The lady working there was doing a sort of taste test with regular granny smith apples verses organic granny smith. I was already sold on the whole organic idea and I also knew that, organic or not, their local- picked when ripe apples were going to beat the taste over any apple that had traveled and had been stored. Still knowing all that, the experience of tasting them back to back like that was indeed enlightening. Especially right there on the farm with the beautiful colors and fragrance surrounding me. I love the kind of apples that are so juicy you need a paper towel to eat; for my kids, a bath.

Fresh is always the highest priority with me, then organic, in that order. Price is important to me too and I try to weigh it all out with everything, but I know that the more we buy organic the lower the prices will go.

My reasons for choosing organic are as follows. I don’t like the idea of consuming pesticide residues. I know we can’t avoid all environmental toxins and that the body is equipped to handle a certain load. But if I can avoid them I will.

The use of pesticides has gone up 10 times since World War II, and damage to crops by insects have doubled. Pests are adapting and actually have to eat more of the plant to be nourished because there is less nutrition.

Studies have shown that organic produce yields more nutrients than non-organic of it’s same kind, sometimes more than double. So getting your 5 a day becomes relative when you consider the amount of nutrients varies from one apple to the next.

The issue is so much more than the pesticides. It’s the whole balance of agriculture. Letting the soil rest, crop rotation, natural fertilizers. We’re replacing only a handful of our soil’s nutrients.

FYI: Here are some tips on decoding the sticker on your fruits and vegetables.

If the PLU number has 5 digits and starts with a 9, it’s organically grown.
If the PLU number has 4 digits it is conventionally grown.
It the PLU number has 5 digits and starts with the number 8 it has been genetically modified.

Local farmer’s markets are a good way to go. Even though they may not say organic and not meet all the guidelines to becoming organically certified they are usually fresher, have more nutrients, and have more flavor.