Which fruits and vegetables are the most important to buy organic? Check out the 2010 Dirty Dozen, the Environmental Working Group’s list of the top 12 most contaminated varieties.

Author Michael Pollan and vegan actress and author Alicia Silverstone appeared recently on Oprah to discuss the importance of a mindful, healthy diet, the perils of grocery shopping, and changes we can all make toward better nutrition for mind, body, and planet. View the episode on Oprah’s website.

What exactly is Clean Plates NYC, and who is it for? In this short video, founder and coauthor Jared Koch presents a simple description of how his restaurant and nutrition guide can serve as a helpful and accessible resource for New Yorkers and visitors alike.

Coming up at Urban Zen: The FitTown Town Hall will bring together advocates for child health and present solutions that enhance physical and emotional health and wellness for children and teens in the home, at school and in the community. The goal is to engage parents and school staff as agents of change in bringing proactive health and healing practices to American youth. Learn more about www.urbanzen.org.

Day 1: March 10, 2010
Nutrition in Schools
with Ras Baraka, Annemarie Colbin, PhD, Alexandra Jamieson, First Lady Michelle Paige Paterson, Barnaby Spring, and Brian Wansink, PhD
Creating a Healthy Environment
with Kristy Borak, Michael Conard, Sarkis Kalashian, Eric Komoroff and Jean McTavish
Food Thought in Underserved Communities
with Sarita Dhuper, MD , FACC , Anna Hammond, Terri Kennedy, PhD, Craig King and Jerusha Klemperer

Day 2: March 11, 2010
Kids Going Green
with Theresa Dolan, Sarah Fishstrom, Lynn Fredricks,  Annie Novak, Joy Pierson, Akiima Price and Kim Wiley-Schwartz
Exercise, Music and Art Therapy for Kids
with Yong Kim Cedro, Anne Desmond, Beth DeFuria, James O’Brien, Mache Seibel, MD and Clyde Valentin
Spirituality and Mental Resiliency
with Dianne Connelly, Heath Grant, PhD, Tara Guber, Stephen Josephson, MD , Lisa Oz and Alan Wherry

FitTown: A Healthy Path for Kids
Wednesday & Thursday March 10 & 11, 2010
Urban Zen Center at the Stephan Weiss Studio
711 Greenwich Street (at Charles Street)
New York, NY 10014
Tickets: $180 for both days or $100 per individual day
For more information: rsvp@urbanzen.org or 212.414.8520

Coming up at Urban Zen: Learn how you can meet the special dietary needs of children living with autism, ADHD , asthma and allergies from experts Dr. Kenneth Bock, author of “Healing the New Childhood Epidemics,” and pediatrician Dr. Stephen Cowan. During this one day experiential workshop, you’ll glean insights from experts working on the front lines of nutrition therapy and dietary management for children. Then, you’ll get a taste of what the experts are really talking about through hands-on innovative food “labs” and cooking experiences that translate nutrition and dietary advice to the kitchen space and child’s plate. You will leave with the knowledge and
the practical tools to implement restorative dietary practices into your lifestyle and your children’s. The workshop will also feature a lunchtime presentation by renowned author and editor-at-large of Psychology Today Hara Estroff Marano. Learn more at www.urbanzen.org.

Food Solutions: Managing Autism, ADHD, Asthma and Allergies
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
9:00 am – 4:30 pm
Urban Zen Center at the Stephan Weiss Studio
711 Greenwich Street (at Charles Street)
New York, NY 10014
Tickets: $80
For more information: rsvp@urbanzen.org or 212.414.8520

Nutrition expert Marion Nestle contends that the modern grocery store is a place where the giants of agribusiness compete for your purchases with profits-not health or nutrition-in mind. Her acclaimed book, What to Eat, helps readers navigate the supermarket aisles and make sensible food choices, from produce to packaged foods. Is organic food better? Are carbohydrates bad? What are “functional foods?”

At this event, Nestle will address the science of nutrition, explaining how hard nutrition science is to do and to interpret, and yet how easy it is for food marketers to confuse the science to sell products. Nestle will discuss the hot topics of sponsored science, functional foods, health claims, and self-endorsements.

Marion Nestle is Paulette Goddard Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University, which she chaired from 1988-2003.

What to Eat: Diet, Nutrition, and Food Politics
An Evening with Marion Nestle
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
6:30 – 8:00 pm
The New York Academy of Sciences
7 World Trade Center (at Barclay St.)
250 Greenwich Street, 40th Floor
New York, NY 10007

TICKETS:
Non-members: $25
Students: $20
Members: $15

Learn more and purchase tickets at www.nyas.org/whattoeat.

Local, sustainable food has a new spokesperson – and he puts a handsome face on a serious subject. Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has been awarded the 2010 TED Prize (TED stands for “Technology, Entertainment, Design”) for his goal of transforming American foodways to eliminate obesity and poor nutrition. The TED Prize awards its winner with $100,000 to achieve his or her goal, and helps the winner to raise funds and critical support for the project.

Jamie Oliver’s wish: “I wish for your help to create a strong, sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity.”

To learn more about the TED Prize or to offer support, please visit www.tedprize.org/jamie-oliver. To sign Oliver’s petition to improve the quality of school food in America, please visit his website below.

From Clean Plates NYC founder Jared Koch:

A Simple RX for Good Nutrition, Good Health, and a Good Life

Eating and living healthier don’t have to be complicated or confusing, and it certainly doesn’t have to result in a boring, tasteless sacrifice. The following tips will provide you with a simple way of thinking about nutrition that will make it easy and even – more importantly – enjoyable.

At the foundation of my philosophy is the recognition that there is no single diet that will work for everyone. Instead, you just have to find which foods and eating habits are best for you. The following guidelines will put you on the right path to finding the perfect foods for you and your body. Remember, progress is more important than perfection. Shoot for eating well 80% of the time, and don’t beat yourself up about the other 20%.

Eat mostly VEGETABLES. Lots of green leafy ones (kale and swiss chard are two of my favorites!) and include a variety of different colors (carrots, squashes, broccoli, etc). Combine raw and cooked vegetables, shoot for local and organic, and don’t forget the ones from the sea! Seaweeds like kelp and nori are loaded with minerals.

Then have some NUTS AND SEEDS. Stick mostly to raw and unsalted ones for the most benefit.

Of course, remember to have FRUIT. Berries are best, and if possible, be sure to buy local and/or organic.

Depending on your body’s needs and preferences, eat an appropriate amount of GRAINS (mostly whole, low or no gluten – sprouted and sourdough breads are best), BEANS (soak ‘em first, low amounts or no processed soy) and ANIMAL PRODUCTS (look for pasture-raised, grass-fed, free-range, organic, antibiotic and hormone-free, wild seafood, and little or no dairy).

Use high-quality OILS (coconut for cooking and raw olive and/or flax for dressings), SALTS (preferably from the sea or pink Himalayan crystal) and lots of HERBS and SPICES. Not only do they stimulate your taste buds, but many, like garlic, ginger, cayenne, turmeric, cinnamon, and rosemary, are touted for their healing properties.

Reduce your intake of sugar, alcohol, caffeine and processed, chemicalized, artificially-flavored or preserved foods.

Drink mostly pure WATER and TEA (especially green).

Satisfy your sweet tooth. If fruit isn’t enough, use natural sweeteners (in moderation) such as raw honey, palm sugar – you’ll be hearing more about it – maple syrup, or agave nectar.

Nutrition is more than food. EVERYTHING YOU CONSUME MATTERS.

Be mindful of the relationships you keep, the books, magazines and internet sites you read, the movies and TV you watch, and the music you listen to.

EXERCISE and move your body often.  Be exposed often to FRESH AIR and the SUN — even in the winter.

SLEEP well. Going to bed and getting up at the same time consistently is best.  And shoot for between 6-8 hours, not more and not less.  This could be the most important factor for good health.

MEDITATE! You’ll be surprised by the results. Make a difference. Laugh and smile, often. And most importantly: ENJOY your relationships. ENJOY your work. ENJOY and appreciate life.

Hunger & Environmental Nutrition Special Interest Group of the Greater New York Dietetic Association presents

The End of the Line
A film by Rupert Murray
Narrated by Ted Danson

Can you imagine a world without fish? The End of the Line is the world’s first major documentary about the devastating effect of overfishing and what we all can do about it. Premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2009, the film has been described as “The Inconvenient Truth of the Oceans.”

Screening: The End of the Line
February 2, 2010
7:30 PM
Sixth Street Community Center
638 East 6th Street (between Avenues B and C)
New York, NY 10009
Admission $5 at the door

For more information: gnyhen.org or diane@gnyhen.org.

More and more work is pointing to what we’ve suspected all along…that cheap food is NOT cheap in the long run! The long-term damage to your body caused by low-quality, extensively-processed foods are now becoming palpable, as the obesity epidemic in our country takes its toll largely on economically-disadvantaged populations. But the good news: nutritious eating pays off in the end, both in the money you’ll save on health care, as well as the smaller quantities of food you’ll actually need to eat to feel satisfied. The myth that high-quality whole foods are only for the rich may be just that…a myth. New evidence shows that we can all save money through better eating.

Learn more about how healthy diets can help us out of the recession at http://tiny.cc/HmRKO.