We all know its better to eat more fruit and vegetables. But concerns about the safety of conventionally grown produce versus organically grown always comes up as well.

When produce is organic, it means that it has been produced without using chemical fertilizers or pesticides. There are some compelling reasons why people choose to buy organic produce. The main reason to eat organic produce is to avoid the pesticide residue left on foods. Hands down, organically raised food is better for the environment. Absence of pesticides results in healthier soil, water, and wildlife. Buying organically grown produce supports small farmers and contributes to biodiversity.

Some people choose organic produce because they believe it has a higher nutritional value than commercially grown produce. The comparisons of nutritional content between food organically grown and conventionally grown produce, however, shows little difference. Consider also that much of the produce we buy today is not always locally grown. We have many fruits and vegetables to choose from year round because they have been shipped from other parts of the country (or the world). The fact that a fruit or vegetable is organic does not necessarily translate to nutritional superiority simply because its organic. If shipped from far away, it may already be past its nutritional peak.

For many health conscious families, the purchase of organic produce is cost prohibitive. As much as they would like to eat more organically grown food, they simply cannot afford the higher cost. Most of us have a food budget and have to make choices about what we buy, and perhaps a compromise is whats called for. There are two things you can do to take advantage of organically grown produce as much as possible.

Buy local organic produce when its in season. In many parts of the USA, that means taking advantage of certain fruits and vegetables during the warmer months when available. Freezing or canning local organic produce is a possible option for when those items are out of season.

Buy conventionally grown produce from the “Clean 15” list, and organic only for those foods that are on the “The Dirty Dozen” list. The Dirty Dozen are the fruits and vegetables which have the largest amount of pesticide residues, and the Clean 15 have the least amount.

The “Clean 15”:

Onions

Avocados

Sweet corn

Pineapples

Mango

Sweet peas

Asparagus

Kiwi fruit

Cabbage

Eggplant

Cantaloupe

Watermelon

Grapefruit

Sweet potatoes

Sweet onions

The “Dirty Dozen”:

Celery

Peaches

Strawberries

Apples

Domestic blueberries

Nectarines

Sweet bell peppers

Spinach, kale and collard greens

Cherries

Potatoes

Imported grapes

Lettuce

When the warm weather arrives again, make a habit of visiting your local farmers’ markets and buy local organic produce throughout the season.

2013 Gretchen Scalpi. All rights reserved. You are free to reprint/republish this article as long as the article and byline are kept intact and all links are made live.

One of the most widely eaten food crop in the world, rice provides nourishment to more than half the world’s population. Being a staple food, it is cultivated during winters and summers, both. Being grown in 4000 varieties every year, it supplied more than one fifth of the calories that are consumed by humans.

Rice is one of the most grown cash crops in developing countries and is also the oldest of the cereal crops that humans cultivated. The first form of rice was grown in China about 5000 years ago and since it was a major food supplement, it got commercially cultivated as a cash crop in half the world.

Rice contains nutrients that are vital to the body and give it energy. Nutrients such as carbohydrates are found in rice which is also an important source for storing energy inside the body so that it grows properly. Because rice nutrition is low on salt, cholesterol and fat, it keeps the heart healthy.

Rice being of two types; brown and white rice, has a high quantity of carbohydrates in it and mixing these 2 rice can be beneficial. The only major difference between the two types is that white rice goes through a milling process whereas, the brown rice does not. However, it is believed that the milling process is not favorable for white rice nutrition as it removes nutrients such as B3, B1, B6, dietary fiber, the essential fatty acids, and half quantity of iron, phosphorus and manganese. It is known that brown rice has more nutrition and fiber as the white rice has its outer coating removed.

White Rice Nutrition contains carbohydrate (89%), some protein (8%) and little fat (1%). It also consists of some dietary fiber, calcium, and potassium.

On the other hand, brown rice nutrition is rich in quantity of 83% carbohydrate, 9% of protein and 7% of fat. It also has dietary fiber (6x more than white rice), calcium and potassium (about double amount as in white rice)

Rice nutrition also has a low content of sodium and contains favorable amounts of potassium, thiamin, B vitamins and niacin. Usually, people who are trying to reduce cholesterol and fat intake seek rice as the solution since it only has a slight trace of salt and absolutely no cholesterol. It is also gluten free so is easily digested. It is suitable for vegans and brown rice is particularly popularly used in vegetarian dishes.

It is known that an average portion of rice nutrition is capable of providing about 11% of the expected average daily necessity of protein and on share it only has 245 kcal.”

Online health store for getting quality health products in India. Today, people are getting several advices or suggestions on how watch out their bodies, and for making physical body strong, people generally go to the gym or join any health club or go for a walk in the morning to evening to become physically fit. But, it is not enough for us if we are not taking good nutrition because besides exercise, a body needs healthy eating equally so as to operate well. Now stop worrying concerning what you eat and begin loving it, just enjoy your food or meals with your family and make your meals a pleasurable experience that you exactly anticipate to. Do not take large meals, but break your food in small portions, this is very important for those people who are suffering from gastritis, and it also helps in maintaining blood sugar levels. Remember, little changes can make an enormous impact so that try these important tips

Take your lunch or dinner properly
Don’t take fizzy sugary drinks, but sugar-free versions. For example, drink water rather than try a slice of lemon, orange, etc.
Don’t not add more salts on your food as well as decrease size (quantity) of your meal.
Take breakfast every day instead of taking snacks, biscuits, etc. at morning.
Do not take high fat food always or whenever you go out to party of enjoying celebrations with your friends of family, just try to avoid it most of the time. Always take balanced food, which are satisfying by selecting full of nutritious meal from all food groups including carbohydrate, protein, vitamins, and minerals as well as fat because they provide you energy and keep you fresh and active for many hours. Today, people can easily get the best nutrition’s product online also as there are many online health store that are providing branded Nutrition products in India at the affordable prices with free shipping.

In today’s fast and furious life, people generally junk food instead of homemade food because due to busy schedule or lack of time due to high work pressure. But, homemade meal is the best food in comparing to junk food (which includes fast food) by many ways, including junk food is higher in fat, salt, sugar, lower in fiber, calcium and iron and served in big portions that mean more kilojoules. Therefore, always try to take home made meal as it keeps our body more health and diseases free. You can take help from your doctor or any Dietitian for making a diet chart as well.