Earth and Skin on the Gold Coast is a luxurious organic day spa. We provide highly effective cruelty free, non toxic treatments and products to people who are conscious of their health and the environment.
Clean 15 Dirty Dozen
Today I want to talk to you about something that was one of the first things I learnt when I started this journey in trying to live a lifestyle that was as free from chemicals as possible and I think it will be really handy for you as well.
As a busy mum, I am always on the lookout for ways to make my life easier while also ensuring my little monkeys are getting the nutrients they need as well as trying to do the best for our health.
As a consumer, I think it is really important to make mindful informed decisions about what we purchase because that is the only way to really make a change.
Buying or not buying is the most powerful way to make change.
I understand that buying organic is more expensive than not buying organic.
So how can we meet the nutritional needs of our family, reduce our toxic load and financially live within our means?
Well let me introduce you The Environmental Working Group. They are a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to protecting human health and the environment.
Here is a link to their website so that you can have a look at what they do. They also have a skincare branch called Skin Deep which analyses the ingredients used in skincare. I find this an amazing tool if you are new to checking skincare ingredients.
The Environmental Working Group look at a data which is obtained by testing how much pesticide residue is found in fresh produce.
They look at 6 different measures of Fruit and Vegetable contamination by pesticides and comes up with a list of the 12 most contaminated produce.
As well as looking at the most contaminated produce, they also analyse which fruits and vegetables contain the least amount of pesticide.
These two lists are called The clean 15 and dirty dozen
click here to download the list
I use these two lists to help me shop. If a food is on the clean list, I am not too worried about buying organic but if a food is on the dirty list, there is no way you’re going to find me eating it unless it is certified organic. Like there is no way I would eat an apple unless it was organic whereas I’ll eat any old banana.
Oh and don’t think that it has anything to do with the thickness of the skin. Sweet potato is on the clean list whereas normal potatoes are on the dirty list.
I am going to put these two lists on my website so you can print them off and use them when you shop and hopefully save some money.
Here is a YouTube clip of one of the experts at EWG explaining these two lists.
Just remember that the list is updated every year around March so it’s a good idea to check back.
I really hope that you enjoyed that first video and that you got something from that. I hope you remember this next time you are shopping.
Please leave some comments or questions if you have any and I will do my best to reply. I would love to hear from you.
Also if you have any suggestions about my next topic to talk about, I am all ears.
See you next time.
Louisa x
