Do you have a question for Sara? Feel free to post it here. In the meantime, here are Sara's answers your earlier questions:

Q: How do I know that foods are really organic, or am I just paying for the word?

A: That is an excellent question because, as we all know, the word organic can mean a few different things, like being derived from living organisms or even being related to chemical compounds. But when it comes to food, you can be sure that if a product wears the USDA Organic label it means that it is backed by national organic standards and strict labeling rules that let consumers know the exact organic content of the food they're buying.

Beyond that, foods can be listed as "100% organic", meaning that no synthetic ingredients were allowed or "Made with Organic Ingredients", which requires that 70% of ingredients be organic. And the remaining 30% must come from the USDA's approved list.

But, while we're on the subject, there are a few labels that are more or less meaningless. These include the words "natural" or "all natural" on a label. No standard definition for this term exists except when applied to meat, chicken or eggs. In that case the USDA defines it as not containing any artificial flavoring, colors, chemical preservatives or synthetic ingredients.

And "free-range" or "free-roaming" you'll often see on eggs, chicken or other meat products, suggesting that the animal has spent most of his/her life roaming freely in wide open pasture. This isn't necessarily the case. The regulations for this label are still weak. For example, when applied to poultry products the requirements are merely that the animal be allowed access to the outdoors for a portion of the day. Look for the USDA Organic label and eat with ease.

Q: I have been on a healthy weight-loss diet since May, and to make daily salad-making simpler have been buying bagged lettuce that is pre-washed. I recently read about contamination issues ... and am now very much afraid to buy it after talk of e-coli issues. Is it safe? Is there a best brand?

A:  Great question and I have a great story/answer for you. Twenty-one years ago a husband-and-wife team of farmers began picking and pre-washing the lettuce from their fields and bagging it up into ready-made salads for the week's lunches and dinners. They didn't realize so many people across the country were looking for convenience just like this. Before too long they saw the market for it and started selling their plastic cartons of organic greens under their farm name, Earthbound Farm. Thankfully for us, pre-washed packages of organic greens are available in supermarkets big and small as well as natural foods markets all across the country.

Every time I go to the grocery store (this is not an exaggeration) I buy a tub of organic pre-washed baby greens. I can always find them under a couple of different names, like Earthbound Farm and Newman's Own Organics. Because they were organically grown I feel safe, knowing there are no harmful pesticides lingering on the leaves and I'm comfortable with the pre-washed label. Comfortable enough that most lunches and dinners at home involve me grabbing a big handful of greens right out of the container and smacking it down on a plate with some sliced avocado, maybe some sprouts and a good drizzle of flax seed oil.