General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I just spent $6.94 on a pound and a half of Organic Tomatoes. Honestly it bugged me, then I saw this [View all]silverweb
(16,402 posts)[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]Hard to get both complete and accurate information, and hard to get a varied/adequate diet free of harmful chemicals without (1) working at it and (2) going way over budget.
I have read that it's not possible to just wash away many pesticides, that they often permeate foods because of frequent spraying from germination to harvest. I can't cite the source for this because I read so many related publications and don't keep notes, but my overall conclusion has been that it's important to stick to genuine organics as much as possible.
Now even the labeling is deceptive in many cases, thanks to big food corporate pressure and weaseling. They really, really don't want us to know what they're selling us, but we just have to do the best we can.
I eat at home most of the time anyway. I buy non-GMO, pesticide-free organics as much as possible, and avoid prepared packaged foods that contain preservatives, etc. Eating out could be a problem for many people. We only eat out a couple times a month and try to patronize only local organic/vegetarian places. Of course, we pay somewhat higher prices for that, but it's worth it.
In your case, maybe you could start by checking around for restaurants that feature healthy, organic food. They're very "in" right now in a lot of places, so you might well come up with several in your area. Many grocery stores now sell frozen organic fruits and vegetables, free-range antibiotic-free meats, etc, as well. Reading labels is also one of the most important things you can do. The fewer ingredients the better and usually, if you don't recognize something or can't pronounce it, you probably don't want to eat it.
Good luck! Let us know how you make out as you explore your options.