nutrition

What a PLU number can teach you about fruit and vegetable safety.

health, mental health, nutrition, weight, wellness

You know those annoying stickers you have to peel off before eating your fruit and veggies. They actually educate you how the food was grown, safely or not. If you’ve ever bought produce from a grocery chain, you’ll recognize the ones I’m talking about. They usually have a a bar code on them for scanning and a PLU code, which helps your friendly neighborhood cashier identify what type of produce you’re buying.

The PLU is the “price lookup” number and identifies the fruit or veggie, it also helps to identify something else: how the produce was cultivated. By correctly reading this code, you can tell if the fruit was genetically modified, organically grown or produced with chemical fertilizers, fungicides, or herbicides

The story behind where your fruits and vegetables actually came from has been right under your nose all along! You just have to know how to analyze the labels and the PLU number. It’s actually a lot easier than you’d imagine

Here’s the basics of what you need to know about the truth behind PLU codes.

  1. If there are only four numbers in the PLU, this means that the produce was grown conventionally or “traditionally” with the use of pesticides. The last four letters (or only four, in this case) of the PLU code are simply what kind of vegetable or fruit you’re buying. An example is that all bananas are labeled with the code of 4011.
  2. If there are five numbers in the PLU code, and the number starts with “8”, this tells you that the item is a genetically modified fruit or vegetable. Genetically modified fruits and vegetables have been tampered with in an unnatural way; essentially, produce that has been genetically modified was created in a lab or over decades of artificial selection, and cannot be found in nature. A genetically engineered (GE or GMO) banana would be: 84011
  3. If there are five numbers in the PLU code, and the number starts with “9”, this tells you that the produce was grown organically and is not genetically modified. An organic banana would be: 94011

 

If you’re looking to be hyper aware of what fruits and vegetables have been treated with pesticides and other chemicals and which have not, you’ll want to check out the homepage for the Environmental Working Groups. The EWG has compiled two lists to help consumers identify which produce is generally cleaner and which produce is generally tampered with; the Clean Fifteen and the Dirty Dozen.

 

The Top 5 for the “Clean Fifteen” produce are:

  1. Avocados
  2. Sweet Corn
  3. Pineapple
  4. Cabbage
  5. Sweet Peas (Frozen)

The Top 5 for the “Dirty Dozen” produce are:

  1. Strawberries
  2. Apples
  3. Nectarines
  4. Peaches
  5. Celery

What Physical Wellness Can Teach You about Quality and Longevity of Life

Exercise, health, mental health, therapy, weight, wellness

 

Have you tried all the diets, does activity sound and feel like work, do you know your health risks?

The physical dimension of wellness recognizes the need for physical development. Improvement includes learning about diet and nutrition, incorporating regular physical activity, discouraging the use of addictive substances, and medical self care.

The most important contributor to a person’s wellness is nutrition.  Nutrition is responsible for fueling all of life’s processes.  The atoms, molecules, and cells of your body continually move and change, even though the arrangement of your tissues and organs seems to remain constant.  All of the energy you need and all of the pieces of your body come from the nutrients you derive from foods (Whitney & Rolfes, 1993).

Eat meals regularly and include a variety of healthful foods for a balanced diet.  Drink plenty of fluids, preferably water.  Drink alcohol in moderation.

We all know the benefits of regular physical activity: disease risk reduction, helps control weight, maintains bones, muscles, and joints, and reduces feelings of anxiety and depression.  Theory and research tell us the amount of pleasure or displeasure one experiences during exercise may influence the likelihood that he or she subsequently adopts or maintains regular participation.  So the most important thing is to exercise often and have fun doing activities you enjoy.  Someone asked me “How long do I have to exercise?”  I replied, “How long do you want the benefits?”

I have 20+ years experience successfully maintaining a healthy weight through continually evolving and changing my nutrition and my activity. I limit my alcohol, and try to adhere to health assessment according to age markers. I do things to take care of my body. I am mindful of my body’s health, and how it responds to stress and setbacks. I’ve learned planning, setting small goals, and making it fun determine my success.

Kelle Greeson, Owner ELM Mental Wellness.


By traveling the ELM Mental Wellness path, you’ll be able to plan, set reasonable goals, and measure your success and obstacles. You’ll understand and appreciate the relationship between sound nutrition and how your body performs. The physical benefits of looking good and feeling terrific most often lead to the psychological benefits of enhanced self-esteem, self-control, determination and a sense of direction.

Our Physical Body is the home we will live in forever.  Take Good Care.

Click to download Physical Wellness Prescription