If it weren’t for my lawyer, I’d still be in prison. It went a lot faster with two people digging.

Joe Martin

I went into a McDonald’s yesterday and said, ‘I’d like some fries.’ The girl at the counter said, ‘Would you like some fries with that?’

Jay Leno

The Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org) is a nonprofit organization that advocates in Washington D.C., for policies that protect global and individual health. Among the many valuable services they provide is a Shoppers’ Guide to Pesticides in Produce. It is based on the results of nearly 43,000 pesticide tests performed on produce and collected by federal agencies between 2000 and 2004. Nearly all of the data used took into account how people typically wash and prepare produce - for example, apples were washed and bananas peeled before testing.

Of the 43 different fruit and vegetable categories tested, these had the highest pesticide load, making them the most important to buy organic versions - or to grow organically yourself:

• Peaches
• Apples
• Sweet bell peppers
• Celery
• Nectarines
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Lettuce
• Grapes (imported)
• Pears
• Spinach
• Potatoes

Why should you care about pesticides? The EWG points out that there is a growing consensus in the scientific community that small doses of pesticides and other chemicals can have adverse effects on health, especially during vulnerable periods such as fetal development and childhood.

A few other notes from the EWG: Nectarines had the highest percentage of samples that tested positive for pesticides (97.3 percent) followed by peaches (96.6 percent) and apples (93.6 percent). Peaches had the highest likelihood for multiple pesticides on a single sample: 86.6 percent had two or more pesticide residues.

Also keep in mind that maintaining your family’s health is not the only reason to choose organic food. Pesticide and herbicide use contaminates groundwater, ruins soil structures and promotes erosion, and may be a contributor to “colony collapse disorder,” the sudden and mysterious die-off of pollinating honeybees that threatens the American food supply. Buying or growing organic food is good for the health of the planet.

Always get married early in the morning. That way, if it doesn’t work out, you haven’t wasted a whole day.

Mickey Rooney (1920 - )

Every one of us gets through tough times because somebody is there, standing in the gap to close it for us.

Oprah Winfrey (1954 - )

Silence is the virtue of fools.

Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

All About YOU: Are Some Foods Addictive?

Like smoking or certain drugs, foods can become addictive by boosting feel-good hormones in your brain. What food has qualities least similar to that of an addictive drug?

.Peanuts. Unlike the other items on the list, peanuts don’t cause the direct release of dopamine, the pleasure neurotransmitter. And that’s a good thing, because when dopamine is released, you feel great — until the levels begin to drop off again, and you find yourself reaching for more of the item that made you feel so fine.

But peanuts satisfy without the neurochemical roller coaster that other foods foster. And they’re great for your heart because they’re full of healthful fats. Not to mention vegetable protein and flavonoids — powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory substances. Just an ounce of nuts per day can decrease the incidence of heart disease between 20 and 60 percent. So cut cravings and get healthy with the almighty peanut!

RealAge Benefit: Eating a low-fat diet — and eating healthful unsaturated fats when you do eat fat — can make your RealAge as much as 6 years younger.

RealAge Smart Search: Learn more about nuts and other healthful snack options with these hand-selected results.

Be thankful for what you have today because it could be gone tomorrow.

grizz