Green Mom Offers Tips for Buying Produce

By Cristina Acosta
Co-Founder & Editor, Green Mom Finds

For me, trying to live a “green” lifestyle can feel a bit overwhelming at times. Almost every choice I make has an impact on my environment and on my children’s health - whether I’m deciding what kind of food to buy or what car to drive. And yet it’s not always easy or even feasible to make the greenest choice. (I mean, hello, I’d love to get a Lexus hybrid for commuting to work, but I just don’t have thousands of dollars lying around! So for now, I’m stuck with my regular old, not-at-all eco-friendly sedan.)

But instead of getting wrapped up in eco-guilt, I try to focus on the little things I can do to lessen my impact on the environment.

One of the simple steps I’ve taken is buying more organic produce. Eliminating my children’s exposure to pesticides is particularly important to me in light of studies that show that fetuses, infants and small children are most vulnerable to the toxic effects of pesticides. Buying organic produce is not only a great way to eliminate pesticide exposure, but if you buy locally grown organic produce, you’ll also be supporting your local farmer and reducing car pollution (did you know the average piece of produce travels 1500 miles before it reaches the store??) Plus, I personally think that organic produce, grown locally and purchased in season, just tastes way better.

Now, granted, sometimes loading up on organic produce at the grocery store can seem almost as expensive as buying a new hybrid (heh). However, there are some ways to make buying organic produce more cost-effective for your family. Here are a few tips for buying organic:

1. If you can’t buy all your produce organic, start small and just choose to buy a couple of your fruits and veggies from the organic section. To get the biggest bang for your buck, choose produce that is highest in pesticides and buy it organic. Check out the Environmental Working Group’s Pesticides in Produce Wallet Guide for a list of the fruits and veggies that are highest in pesticides.
   
2. Buy organic produce in season whenever possible, and skip on the bags of organic frozen veggies shipped from China.
   
3. Consider joining a CSA, which is a great way to get organic produce from your local farm. Find out if you have one in your area by visiting Local Harvest, http://www.localharvest.com/
   
4. And most importantly, if feel yourself falling victim to “eco-guilt” for not being able to “do it all” when it comes to going green, try making yourself one of these Stress Reliever Strawberry Smoothies and remember, every little eco-step you take makes a difference. Cheers!

Cristina Acosta is co-founder and editor of Green Mom Finds (www.greenmomfinds.com), the premier online resource for parents looking for eco-friendly tips, resources and product suggestions.