COPD Green

12 Foods Where Organic Makes Sense
Avoiding the "dirty dozen" could dramatically cut your exposure to pesticides. What's the dirty dozen, you ask? It's a watch list of the 12 most pesticide-polluted fruits and veggies. Solution: Grab the organic versions. -- going organic with these 12 fruits and veggies could cut your exposure to pesticides as much as 90 percent!

Fruits
Peaches and nectarines
Strawberries and cherries
Apples and pears
Imported grapes

Veggies
Spinach and lettuce
Potatoes and celery
Sweet bell peppers

Beyond Pesticides
Cutting your exposure to pesticides is only one reason to go organic. La Puma says you'll be healthier, too, because some organic foods are more nutritious than their conventionally grown counterparts.

Tomato-y Treat That's Truly Tops
Whether it's revving up our veggie burgers or toning down our barbecue sauces, ketchup is one condiment few people could live without.So squeeze more out of it by going organic. Organic ketchup packs three times more lycopene than the regular stuff and almost twice the level of flavonoids. Here's what all that extra nutrition means for your body.

Love That Lycopene
Lycopene gives fruits (like tomatoes!) and veggies a rich red color, and it may give your body a leg up on loads of diseases -- from cancer to clogged arteries.

Organic Thought
Going organic may boost your intake of cancer-fighting antioxidants.
Researchers who recently tested the antioxidant content of corn that had been grown with and without the use of pesticides found that the corn grown without the chemicals had almost 60% more flavonoids compared to the corn grown with pesticides. Flavonoids are a type of antioxidant nutrient associated with reduced cancer risk.

Researchers speculate that organic produce may have more flavonoids because plants use flavonoids to defend themselves against pests and diseases. Produce grown with pesticides has less need for flavonoids and thus may produce less of them. However, organically grown produce will need to produce more flavonoids to protect itself from bugs and diseases. More research needs to be completed to confirm test results regarding the association between organically grown produce and increased flavonoid content.

Why You Should Snap Up In-Season Asparagus
Go ahead, celebrate this season's delicate asparagus spears by digging into a big pile. Why? Your pancreas will thank you. Seems that getting lots of folate -- specifically from food, not so much from supplements -- may help protect you from pancreatic cancer. And just half a cup of asparagus delivers 190 micrograms of the stuff, more than 25 percent of what you need. Your Pancreas, and MoreFolate is a member of the B-vitamin group, and it has long been touted as a heart helper. Some early research also links high folate intake to a lower risk of colon, breast, ovarian, and lung cancers.

Pancreatic cancer prevention is just the newest member of the why-we-love-folate list. (Do you know what pancreatitis is? Read up on the symptoms.)

Food Is a Factor
Folate from both food and the stuff found in supplements (folic acid) helps your heart. But in a study, when it came to defending against pancreatic cancer, only food sources seemed to have an effect. Folate-rich foods aren’t hard to come by if you go for the green -- as in artichokes, brussels sprouts, lima beans, avocados, soybeans, and broccoli. And of course, asparagus -- which is in season in many U.S. markets. Trim away the woody ends of succulent stalks, and serve them up in one of these three ways:

Steam them, and then garnish with fresh tomato for a salad alternative. Here's a recipe from EatingWell that shows you how.

Snip them into 1-inch pieces to make this creamy-yet-creamless Asparagus Soup.

Chop and boil them briefly, and then use the chunks to fill an omelet. (Did you know that eggs are back on the good-for-you list?)

Go organic, go Green. To your good health and better breathing!
Remember to recycle and use earth friendly products so that our beautiful Mother Earth can breathe better, too.

Blessings to all,
Luna (Kasey)