CHOICES TO REDUCE YOUR IMPACTS
Organic Produce
Buying organic is a great way to "discourage" the use of pesticides by "encouraging" organic practices with our checkbooks. However, this can be pricey. One way to save some money while still protecting your family is to choose organic on those fresh items that absorb the most chemicals. The produce that has been shown to absorb the most pesticide residue are peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, kale, lettuce, imported grapes, carrots, and pears. (note on the imported grapes: by NOT buying grapes from Chile, you are ALSO reducing your carbon footprint by not buying produce that is being transported over long distances, most likely by air.) On the other hand, certain produce does not absorb many chemicals, and that list includes onions, avocados, sweet corn, pineapples, mangos, asparagus, sweet peas, kiwi, cabbage, eggplant, papaya, watermelon, broccoli, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes.
Remember: It is always easy to find the least expensive organic produce during that item's prime growing season (apples in fall, strawberries in spring, corn in summer...etc.).
Sustainable Seafood
I became really aware of sustainable fishing during my first pregnancy. I was surprised that my ob/gyn advised that I should completely avoid all seafood. She explained that it was just too risky with all the mercury found in seafood. During my second pregnancy, my ob/gyn (a different one) advised that there were only certain types of fish that I should avoid.
Now that EVERYONE is advising eating fish at least once a month (cold water fish that are high in omega-3's) salmon has become popular, but even that has its drawbacks.
I have an iPhone and I found a GREAT app called "fishphone." It is the Blue Ocean Institute's list of "Ocean Friendly Seafood" that I can easily pull up in the store to check the sustainability of any type of fish. Here is the list of their approved, sustainable seafood: Arctic Char, Barramundi, Capelin, Atlantic Surf Clam, Geoduck clam, Farmed Manilla Clam, Dungeness Crab, Crawfish, Atlantic Herring, Hoki, Atlantic Mackerel, Chub Mackerel, King Mackerel and Spanish Mackerel (however, both of these are high in mercury and/or PCB's and not recommended), Mahimahi, Farmed Blue Mussel, Greenshell Mussel, Mediterranean Mussel, Eastern Oyster, Pacific Oyster, American Pollock, Walleye Pollock, Alaska Salmon, Pacific and Indian Sardines, Bay Scallops, Green Sea Urchin and Red Sea Urchin from British Columbia, Sea Urchin Roe, Shrimp from Canada, Pink Shrimp, Spot Shrimp from Alaska, Yellowtail Snapper, Rock Sole, Argentine Squid, Market Squid, Striped Bass (also high in mercury and/or PCB's), Tilapia, Pole and Troll caught Albacore Tuna, Bigeye Tune (high in mercury and/or PCB's), Skipjack Tuna, Yellowfin Tuna (not farmed), and Atlantic Wahoo (high in mercury and/or PCB's).
This does give you quite a list of options, but you can notice that some of the most popular restaurant seafood are NOT on this list (such as Orange Roughy, Chilean Sea Bass, California and Oregon Salmon, Lobster, and Southeastern US Shrimp). Keep this in mind not only at the grocery store but also out at restaurants.
