Go Green Get Fit Challenge Week 9: Chemicals in Food

This week’s Go Green Get Fit Challenge Topic is Chemicals in our food supply.

For many individuals and families, a food allergy or intolerance, weight gain or loss, or diagnosis of disease or pre-disease (such as pre-diabetes) becomes a catalyst for dietary changes. For me and my family, unwanted chemicals in our food supply are a serious issue and one that we work hard every day to overcome. One family member is hypoglycemic and lactose intolerant, and another is allergic to food dyes. The prevalence of food dyes, preservatives, hormones, antibiotics, pesticides and Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and other toxins has become so great it is often difficult for consumers to shop for their families without checking the ingredients list on every item that goes into the shopping cart.

Many avoid foods with ingredients lists all together and only buy raw ingredients. My own family tries very hard to adhere to a real food diet and we continue to rely less and less on processed foods every month. It can be difficult and time consuming to ensure every item from the spice rack to the produce to the seafood is the of most wholesome and untainted variety. But it is worth it to us to make sure we are doing everything we can to put healthy, safe foods into our bodies.

Here are some resources we use to help make decisions for our grocery shopping list to help us prioritize, feel confident in our choices, and stay within our budget, too:

ORGANIC FOOD RESOURCES:

• Environmental Working Group’s (EWG’s) “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean Fifteen” lists of which produce to buy organic (updated 2012)
• EWG’s Good Food on a Tight Budget Guide (released 2012)

SUSTAINABLE MEAT AND SEAFOOD RESOURCES:

• EWG’s Meat Eater’s Guide to Climate Change and Health (Updated 2011)
• Natural Resources Defense Council’s Sustainable Seafood Guide
• Marine Stewardship Council’s Sustainable Seafood Finder
• Food Inc. An unflattering look inside America’s corporate controlled food industry.

GMO/GE FOOD RESOURCES:

• Just Label It’s How Common Are Genetically Engineered Foods?
• Center for Food Safety’s True Food Network has recently updated (2011) their Non-GMO Shoppers’ Guide PDF, which is also available as a mobile app for iPhone and Android.
• Green Peace Canada’s non-GMO Shoppers’ Guide: How to Avoid Genetically Modified Foods (updated 2008)
• Allergy Kids’ List of How to Avoid GMOs in the Grocery Store
• Join Just Label It’s We Have a Right To Know! Campaign
• The Unhealthy Truth: One Mother’s Shocking Investigation into the Dangers of America’s Food Supply– and What Every Family Can Do to Protect Itself by Robyn O’Brien

FOOD DYE & CHEMICAL PRESERVATIVE RESOURCES:

• RED40′s list of Certifiable and Exempt Color Additives
• Red Dye #40 in Your Food

FOOD ALLERGY RESOURCES:

• Allergy Kids’ Defining Food Allergies

Have any tips of resources of your own to recommend?

Share in the comments here (we always love to hear your ideas) or share in this week’s discussion at EcoMom Alliance for a chance to win more than $250 worth of eco-fitness gear from our fabulous Go Green Get Fit Sponsors!

Ready to join our quest for sustainable fitness?

• Join the challenge! Participate in the weekly Challenges and Giveaways from June 18th-September 9th!
• Week 1 Challenge: Set and Share our Fitness Goals. You can read about My Goals Here or Share Your Own for a chance to win over $250 worth of eco-fitness products from our event sponsors.
• Week 2 Challenge: Share Your Nutrition Tips!
• Week 3 Challenge: Share Your Tips for Beating the Heat!
• Week 4 Challenge: Share Your Safety Tips!
• Week 5 Challenge: Share Ideas for Fueling Fitness Naturally!
• Week 6 Challenge: Progress Report!
• Week 7 Challenge: Staying Fit While Traveling!
• Week 8 Challenge: Eco-Fitness Faves
• Week 9 Challenge: Chemicals in Food
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•  5 Natural Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Exercise
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•  Analyzing Our Genetically Modified Food (JenandJoeyGoGreen.com)
• Franken Lettuce: What’s Being Done to Our Food? (HealthfulMama.com)
• Why Go Organic? (NatureMoms.com)
•  About Organics (TheWorldWomenWant.com)
•  Just Label It: GMOs, Democracy and Our Health…You Have a Right to Know (EcoMomAlliance.org)
• BPA-Free Canned Food Options (TheSoftLanding.com)

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