The Clean Fifteen

Recently I wrote about a frightening development in California agriculture -- the advent of methyl iodide, a hideous poison, as a permissible pesticide on strawberry fields. I thought I'd like to follow that up with some good news: The produce that you don't have to worry about. On the website Focus Organic, I found a list both of the "Dirty Dozen," the produce most likely to be loaded with pesticides, and the "Clean Fifteen," least likely to have pesticide residues. The idea is that those of us on tight budgets can focus our few extra dollars on buying organic produce when necessary, and buy the conventionally raised stuff for those items that are unlikely to poison us.

We, of course, have other concerns than just pesticides. So here's a rundown of the Clean Fifteen with commentary on their carb contents and nutritional values.

The Clean Fifteen

* Onions- no detectable residues on 90% or more of samples, zero samples positive for multiple pesticides

Onions are a borderline vegetable; they have more carbs than, say, green leafy stuff, but far fewer than stuff like potatoes, which are really a starch more than a vegetable. Onions, of course, are one of the most important seasonings; it's hard to imagine any of the world's cuisines without them. That said, I have often cut back on carbs in a recipe by reducing the quantity of onion, and the dishes have generally come out quite tasty anyway. 1 cup of chopped onion has 14 grams of carb with 3 grams of fiber, for a usable carb count of 11 grams.

Onions are a good source of sulfur, the third most abundant mineral in the body; sulfur is what gives onions (and garlic, for that matter) their pungent smell. Sulfur is used in many ways around your body, from helping your liver eliminate toxins, to reducing inflammation, to making your connective tissue stronger and more flexible. It's also great for your nails and hair.

Onions are also a source of chromium, a mineral that helps control blood sugar. Onions have been shown to help control blood sugar; it's unclear how much of this effect is due to the chromium and how much is due to certain sulfur compounds; either way, they're good for you.

* Avocado- less than 10% tested positive, less than 1% for multiple pesticides

Mmmm. Avocados. Avocados are not only super-delicious, they're a low carb wonder food. Half an avocado -- the little black ones -- has 7 grams of carb with 3 grams of fiber, for just 4 grams usable carb.
79% of the calories in an avocado come from fat, which fits in with my target of 70% or more of my calories from fat. They're a modest source of vitamin C and pro-vitamin A, and an okay source of folacin. Where avocados really shine is their potassium content: That half-avocado will have 602 mgs of potassium, while the average banana has only 467 mgs! (I suspect the banana growers have a really good publicist to have the rep as the best source of potassium.)

Interestingly, the big, smooth-skinned Florida avocados are lower in fat than the little black California ones; they've been marketed as "Slimcados." Since I try to get most of my calories from fat this doesn't strike me as an advantage, but I still wouldn't hesitate to eat a Florida avocado.

I eat most of my avocados sliced in omelets, but they're wonderful with just a little salt, pepper, and lime juice. Guacamole is great spread on a steak, or stuffed into tomatoes for a salad. Too, when you remove the seed, avocados have a nice big hollow, just perfect for stuffing with tuna salad, crab salad, or anything else your heart desires.

* Frozen Sweet Corn- no detectable residues on 90% or more of samples, zero samples positive for multiple pesticides

You know sweet corn is high in carbs, right? It's not a vegetable, it's a grain. How high carb is it? 1 cup of sweet corn has 30 grams of carb with 4 grams of fiber. Not really useful for our way of eating. It does have a fair amount of potassium, though, and a bit of vitamin C, and is a pretty good source of thiamin (B1) and folacin. Still, aside from my yearly ear of corn at the county fair, I don't eat the stuff.

* Pineapples- less than 10% tested positive, less than 1% for multiple pesticides

Pineapple is absolutely luscious. It is my sad duty to tell you it is also one of the highest-sugar fruits. 1 cup of pineapple has 19 grams of carb with only 2 grams of fiber, about twice the sugar of strawberries. Even a lack of pesticides can't make it a great food for us. It's an okay source of vitamin C, but that's about it.

Fresh pineapple does have an enzyme in it called bromelain, which is an anti-inflammatory. This enzyme is why fresh pineapple can make your mouth feel sore and pulpy: The pineapple is digesting you at the same time you're digesting it. This is also why recipes for gelatin salads always specify canned pineapple instead of fresh: If you put fresh pineapple in gelatin it will digest it, leaving you with Kool-Aid with pineapple chunks in it. If you want the anti-inflammatory effects, you can buy bromelain capsules, which will be rated in GDU: Gelatin Digesting Units.

I do occasionally use small quantities of pineapple in a recipe, but it's pretty rare. Da Vinci makes a sugar-free pineapple-flavored syrup that's useful for smoothies, not to mention teriyaki sauce. (Soy sauce, pineapple syrup, garlic, and ginger make a great quick teriyaki sauce.)

* Mango- less than 10% tested positive, less than 1% for multiple pesticides

Even higher carb than pineapple! 1 cup of mango has 28 grams of carb, with 4 grams of fiber, for 24 grams of usable carb, or something I just am not likely to eat. It's a good source of vitamin C and pro-vitamin A, but geez, guys, that's more than a whole day's carb allowance for a lot of us.

* Asparagus- no detectable residues on 90% or more of samples

Now we're talking! Asparagus is super-low carb, and I'm crazy about it. A whole half-pound of asparagus has only 5 grams of carbohydrate, with 2 grams of carb. Makes me want to run to the grocery store right now!

Asparagus is a pretty good source of vitamin C -- that half-pound has about a quarter of your daily requirement, though I think the requirement's set way low. It's a really good source of folacin, with 38% of your daily requirement. It's also a pretty good source of potassium.

If you haven't tried roasted asparagus, you're missing something fantastic. Snap the ends off the spears where they want to break naturally. (I feed these ends to Dexter the Pug, who adores them. Go figure.) Toss them in a roasting pan with plenty of olive oil, plus salt and pepper. Roast at 500 degrees -- yes, 500 degrees -- messing them around once or twice in the process, for about ten minutes, or until they have brown spots, then serve. Unbelievably delicious. You can also do the same oil-salt-and-pepper thing and throw 'em on your electric tabletop grill for five minutes or so, again, until they have brown spots. Asparagus cooked this way needs nothing else -- except a lot more asparagus!

* Frozen Sweet Peas- 77.1% had no detectable pesticides

I'm up in the air about peas. I'm very fond of them, and That Nice Boy I Married loves them. Still, a cup of peas has 21 grams of carb. 7 grams of that is fiber, so the total damage is 14 grams of carb, but again, that's a lot if your daily limit is 20 grams or thereabouts. If you're a 50-gram-per-day type, though, peas may be worth it now and again.

Peas are pretty darned nutritious, it's true, so if you can afford the carbs and love them, they can be worth it from time to time. They're a good source of vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, folacin, niacin, iron, potassium, and zinc; they even have a little calcium.

While I only sit down to a side of buttered peas every now and then, I keep them on hand to add to other dishes. A half-cup or so of thawed, frozen peas can add color, texture, flavor and nutrition to a cauli-rice dish or a skillet supper.

* Kiwi

Kiwis are a berry, and as a berry are not as sugary as some other tropical fruits. One whole kiwi has 11 grams of carb with 3 grams of fiber, for a usable carb count of 8 grams. I'm not fond enough of kiwi to bother, but if you love them you can probably fit a kiwi slice into your diet here and there. The only vitamin they're really a good source of is C.

* Cabbage- 82.1% had no detectable pesticides

Good stuff, cabbage! It's tasty, versatile, and nearly always cheap-cheap-cheap. I consume a pile of it in the form of cole slaw, which I adore in all its myriad varieties. I like cole slaw with chicken, pork steaks, ribs, steak, you name it. I rarely bother making less than a half-head's worth, since I know that will be gone in two days -- and that's with just me eating it; TNBIM doesn't like the stuff.

Cabbage is also wonderful stuffed, of course, but when you're short of time, consider making your favorite stuffed cabbage recipe with chopped cabbage instead, as a skillet supper. I included a recipe for "Unstuffed Cabbage" in 15 Minute Low-Carb Recipes, and many people have written to say it's one of their favorites. Cabbage sauteed in bacon grease, with a little cider vinegar, a touch of Splenda, and the bacon crumbled in at the end, is as tasty a side-dish as I know.

Don't forget about bagged coleslaw mix, which is basically shredded cabbage. It's useful for slaw, sure, but also for lightening-speed cabbage soup.

You know cabbage is good for you, right? A cup of shredded cabbage has 4 grams of carb with 2 grams of fiber, for a usable carb count of just 2 grams; I rarely bother to measure or limit my portions. Cabbage is a reasonably good source of vitamin C. It's the canonical source of the little-remembered vitamin K, which suddenly is getting a lot of press; indeed, I've read that the "K" is for "kraut." It's also a pretty good source of sulfur.

Cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable, a member of the same family that includes everything from brussels sprouts to cauliflower. The cruciferous vegetables appear to be protective against cancer, especially bladder cancer and colon cancer. It's thought this is due to their sulfurous compounds.

Truly, cabbage is the best friend of the low carber on a tight budget, and even low carbers who have won the lottery.

* Eggplant- 75.4% had no detectable pesticides

I confess, I don't have a ton of experience with eggplant. Indeed, I plan to go to the grocery store after I post this article and buy one, because I feel I ought to have at least a few eggplant recipes in my repertoire. The stuff is beloved in many cuisines, and who am I to argue? Besides, it's low carb. A whole pound of eggplant -- more than I'm likely to eat! -- has 22 grams of carb, but 9 of those are fiber, leaving 11 grams of usable carb. They don't have a ton of the usual vitamins and minerals in them, but new research is turning up antioxidants. It's something to keep an eye on.

Back at Christmas time, I made lasagna substituting sauteed slices of eggplant for the noodles. This was fantastic, and a couple of people at the party I took it to said it was the best lasagna they'd ever had. Since lasagna noodles have 339 grams of carb per pound, this is a substitution worth remembering. Took some time and mess, but the results were very much worth it. Too, the leftovers froze and reheated well; if you want to stock up the freezer with heat-and-eat meals, eggplant lasagna is a good choice.

And if you miss hummus -- chick peas are high carb -- consider baba ganoush, which is very similar, only with pureed roasted eggplant in place of the chick peas.

* Papaya

A cup of cubed papaya has 14 grams of carb with 3 grams of fiber, for a usable carb count of 11 grams -- in other words, better than some, worse than others. It's a great source of vitamin C and a pretty good source of folacin and potassium. Frankly, I've just never really been big on papaya, so I don't have a lot of ideas for it. But if you like the stuff, you can probably get away with a little now and then.

* Watermelon- 28.1% tested positive, 9.5% for multiple pesticides

Well, and of that 28.1% that tested positive for pesticide residues, how many of them had pesticides in the flesh? I really don't know how much of the pesticides get through that thick watermelon rind.

Watermelon is a huge summer favorite; many's the time I've simply put out a watermelon and a big knife for dessert at a cookout, and why not? It's easy, it's cheap, and most everyone likes it. It's even entertainment for the kids.

What watermelon is not, I'm afraid, is terribly low carb. My Mastercook program defines a "watermelon slice" as 550 grams, or about 19 ounces, a little over a pound. That slice will run you 20.5 grams of carb, with 1.4 grams of fiber, for a usable carb count of just over 19 grams. You'll get some C, pro-vitamin A, a surprising amount of B6 (21% of your daily value), some thiamin, and a smattering of other stuff, but personally it wouldn't be worth the carb hit to me. For the record, watermelon is also a source of lycopene, the same antioxidant found in tomatoes, believed to inhibit cancer.

Still, if you're a melon fan you'd do better to go with cantaloupe; a quarter-melon will run you 12 grams of carb with 1 gram of fiber, for a usable carb count of 11 grams, and it's got more vitamins and minerals than the watermelon to boot. Cantaloupe is a super source of potassium.

* Broccoli- 65.2% had no detectable pesticides

I trust we're all clear on the fact that broccoli is good for us? It's a cruciferous vegetable, rich in sulfur-bearing compounds, just like cabbage. Which is why broccoli smells and tastes so awful if you overcook it -- you release all that sulfur! Cook it just till barely tender, okay? Do yourself a favor, too, and peel the tough skin off the broccoli stems. Once you do, they're the best part of the plant, better than the flowers.

A whole cup of broccoli has just 4 grams of carb with 2 grams of fiber, for a usable carb count of 2 grams. It's a good source of vitamin C, pro-vitamin A, and folacin, and contributes appreciable potassium. Chow down.

Many grocery stores sell bags of shredded broccoli stems under the name "broccoslaw." Great for slaw, of course, but consider sauteing it for a new and different take on a familiar favorite.

* Tomatoes- 53.1% had no detectable pesticides, 13.5% positive for multiple pesticides

As far as I'm concerned, the question is moot as to how many pesticides grocery store tomatoes have, since this time of year you can find far superior tomatoes at little roadside stands all over the country. Homegrown tomatoes are so far superior to the grocery store variety that for many of us they're the only thing we take the trouble to grow in the yard.

Why are local tomatoes so much better? Because the ones in the grocery store have been bred not with flavor in mind, but rather uniform size, uniform ripening time, and thick skins, all of which makes them easier to harvest and ship, but doesn't do a thing for the flavor. They're also harvested green and ripened off the vine, which doesn't help a bit. It's worth a trip to the farm stand or farmer's market to get the good stuff.

Tomatoes are a borderline vegetable; one medium tomato has 6 grams of carb with 1 gram of fiber for a usable carb count of 5 grams. This time of year I'm willing to take the carb hit to eat two or three, with just a little salt and some chopped fresh basil. Mmmmmm.

Tomatoes are a great source of vitamin C, and a terrific source of lycopene.

* Sweet Potatoes and Grapefruit tie

One of these foods is lower carb than the other! A medium sweet potato has 32 grams of carb with 4 grams of fiber for a usable carb count of 28 grams. I just don't like sweet potatoes enough to make it worth the carb hit. They're pretty nutritious, though, with a ton of pro-vitamin A, a fair amount of C, some thiamin, riboflavin, and B6, and enough potassium to matter. Still, that carb count is daunting.

If you decide you like sweet potatoes enough to include them in your diet, at least at holiday meals, keep in mind that there is no law requiring that you do hideous things to them, like cover them in marshmallows or soak them in Karo syrup. They're very nice just scrubbed, baked, and buttered.

A half a grapefruit has 10 grams of carb with 1 gram of fiber, for a usable carb count of 9 grams. I'm very fond of ruby red grapefruit, myself, and do eat them from time to time. They're a good source of vitamin C, of course. The ruby red ones are also a source of lycopene.

So there you have the Clean Fifteen! Plan your produce purchases accordingly.