There are many different forms of foods and products on the shelves at grocery stores, convenient stores and bodegas, with labels ranging from organic all the way to natural. How food is processed, packaged, shipped, stored and preserved all affect the quality. So what are these labels, and what do they mean anyway? Can you trust that the products you are buying are safe, or regulated? Read on to find out how you can make the best decisions when shopping for things to eat.

Organic

Refers to anything grown without the use of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, hormones, chemical fertilizers, sewage, sludge, GMOs, trans fats, or other synthetic and toxic substances. The USDA Standards in the National Organic Program have a strict policy, that says any “Certified Organic” products have to be at least made up of 95 percent organic ingredients.

Natural

Products labeled “natural” are not regulated by the FDA or USDA – except for meat and poultry. Natural meat and poultry cannot contain artificial flavors and colors, preservatives, or sweeteners. But this label says absolutely nothing about how the animal was raised or treated. For other products, the “natural” label basically means nothing.

Conventional

This is what you don’t want to buy on a regular basis. Food grown, raised, and manufactured with the use of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, hormones, chemical fertilizers, and other synthetic and toxic substances. This includes GMOs and heavily processed foods. During heavy processing, most of the nutrients are lost and producers then “fortified” the product. The method is cost efficient for the manufacturer, but detrimental to your health.

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

These are products or foods that have been altered genetically, either by the insertion, mutation, or deletion of genes. Foods like corn, soybeans and alfalfa tend to be GMOs foods, unless otherwise stated. The purpose is to create different, more desirable, or more hardy crops. These GMO crops become resistant to certain pesticides, and undesirable to typically pests. There are no long term studies that tell us the health impact of consuming GMO foods.

Processed Foods

Processed foods have been transformed from their raw and natural form into foods or “food-like” substances that are packaged and altered to look and taste good. These foods come with many additives, preservatives and dyes that are toxic. Processed foods have very minimal nutrient value and tend to be high in salt, sweeteners, and unhealthy fats. What is crazy is that 70 percent of the average American diet is made up of processed junk.

Don’t be fooled by fancy labels, and colorful packaging when shopping for you and your family. If it comes in a box, and has more than 5 ingredients then its not real food. If the label has to scream all of the “health” benefits and nutrients that it contains, then most likely they are trying to hide the fact that it’s probably not that healthy for you. Read labels, and always try to eat real food with 1 ingredient (i.e. beef, avocado, asparagus).

What other food labels are you guys used to seeing? Comment below!

Every year the Environmental Working Group releases a report titled “Shopper’s Guide To Pesticide In Produce” which let’s consumer know which fruits and vegetables have the highest and lowest contamination of pesticides residue. The test are done by the USDA, and include over 40,000 produce items across the country and major grocers. Samples are tested after they have been prepared to be eaten by the consumer. This is an important factor, because this means that after the produce have been thoroughly washed, cut and peeled in some cases, there is still pesticide residue on the fruit or vegetable.

What Are Pesticides Anyway?

Directly from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences website, “A pesticide is any substance used to kill, repel, or control certain forms of plant or animal life that are considered to be pests. Pesticides include herbicides for destroying weeds and other unwanted vegetation, insecticides for controlling a wide variety of insects, fungicides used to prevent the growth of molds and mildew, disinfectants for preventing the spread of bacteria, and compounds used to control mice and rats”.

Why Should You Be Concerned?

Heavy pesticide use in conventional farming practices have been linked to cause a wide range of negative health affects in humans and animals. Some population-based studies link pesticide exposure to serious health effects such as cardiovascular diseases (62), negative affects on male reproductive system (63) and on the nervous system (58), dementia (67), and also a possible increased risk for certain cancers (68). Specific pesticide prenatal exposure have even been correlated with decreased gestational duration (69) and neurological problems occurring in children (70).

More studies are being done to assess the short term and long term health affects of pesticides in our foods. We should all do our best to avoid exposure of these toxic chemicals as much as possible. Also, don’t be fooled if you come across studies that suggest there are no differences in nutritional value between organic and non-organic foods. This is an effort to get your attention off of the fact that non-organic foods contain these toxic chemicals and are detrimental to your health. Stay woke!

Now, let’s get to the EWG’s Dirty Dozen & Clean Fifteen List:

Dirty Dozen: Buy These Organic

1. Strawberries
2. Spinach
3. Kale
4. Nectarines
5. Apples
6. Grapes
7. Peaches
8. Cherries
9. Pears
10. Tomatoes
11. Celery
12. Potatoes

Hot peppers didn’t make the cut, but have been test for high amounts of pesticide residue, so get these organic as well.

Clean Fifteen: These Don’t Have To Be Organic

1. Avocados
2. Sweet Corn
3. Pineapples
4. Frozen Sweet Peas
5. Onions
6. Papaya
7. Eggplants
8. Asparagus
9. Kiwis
10. Cabbage
11. Cauliflower
12. Cantaloupe
13. Broccoli
14. Mushrooms
15. Honeydew Melons

Although I recommend to buy organic, local and seasonal when possible. Eating fruits and vegetables over processed junk foods is always recommended even if buying organic is not an option for you. It will always be much healthier to choose conventional fresh fruits and veggies over chips, prepackage “healthy” foods usually packed with additives and preservatives, or fast food garbage.

Meal preparation and planning doesn’t have to be hard. The below guide and tips will equip you with all the information that you need so you’ll be setup for success. You’ll get tips on what to do when your at the grocery and to how to best position yourself for a healthful week of eating. Let’s jump in!

Create a Menu

Before you head out to do your weekly grocery shopping, think about what kind of meals you want to have for the week. This helps in two ways:

First, you’ll have a grocery shopping list and know exactly what you need to buy. If you get tempted to buy “fake food”, you’ll have a list already created to keep you on track. Secondly, the having helps you to be organized and not susceptible to impulsive buying of items you don’t need.

Have a Designated Weekly Shopping Day

You have your menu planned out and your designated grocery shopping day. This takes the stress out of what to buy and when to buy. If you don’t like crowds, google search your grocery store and they’ll list the busiest time and less crowded times from open to close. You may even want to go shopping alone to avoid influences from friends or family members who aren’t on the same dietary plan as you.

Shop the Perimeter & Avoid Eye Level Products

The Whole foods and fresh meat products tend to be on the perimeter of grocery stores. This is where you want to do most if not all of your shopping. The aisles tend to be where the processed junk foods are, and things placed at eye-level are designed to catch your attention.

Have a Weekly Prep Day

National Prep day is usually on Sunday’s, but you can choose whatever day you like to get your healthy meals prep. From your menu, cook healthy meals in bulk and store in the fridge, preferably in glass containers. When your on the go, or just too tired to cook you know you have your meals prep for the week or a couple days. You’ll avoid the uber eats and can stay on a healthy track.

If your not prepping for the week, tried to at least chop all your veggies. Dicing onions and peppers are time consuming, and probably the last thing anyone wants to do at the end of a long day.

Keep Your Meals Simple

When preparing meals in bulk, trying to create fancy dishes every week can feel more like a chore as opposed to getting prepared for a week of healthy eating. Create some go-to dishes that you wouldn’t mind rotating through week to week. Have a day of the week that you do try your hand at a little something fancy. Healthy eaters tend to stick with small variety of foods that they eat on weekly basis.

Plan For Tomorrow

When you get going crushing life and your career, you’ll be extremely busy throughout the week. Grab one of those healthy meals and have it packed and ready to go the night before. The last thing you want to do is spend hours prepping, and then forget to grab your lunch as you rush out of the door in the morning.

Maximize Your Leftovers

After you prep all your meals for the week, there may be some leftover veggies. Throw those bad boys into an omelet in the morning if you have time. For my soup lovers, you can even throw leftover veggies and chicken and make yourself a nice warm bowl of chicken soup.

Get Familiar with a Slow Cooker

Slow cookers are revolutionary. You can literally grab a bunch of veggies, some fresh herbs a nice piece of the cheapest cut of meat you can find. Throw all ingredients in that bad boy, and you’ll have something delicious after an hour or two, or more. This can make cooking a breeze with little to no standing around cooking time.

I hope this guide was helpful and that you got a few tips on meal prepping and maximizing your efforts. It’s really not that difficult to create a well-balanced healthful eating routine, even for the busiest person. With a little planning, some sweat equity in the kitchen, you can be setup for success each and every week.