Do I Have to Buy Organic?

http://www.flickr.com/, photo by santiago nicalau

Most of us don't want to eat food covered with harmful pesticides, but when we look at the prices of organic produce, we cringe. It's hard to pay so much more for the same foods. We often reach for the non-organic simply because we know we can't afford to buy everything organic. Instead of making informed choices, we just give up and don't buy anything organic. 

The good news is that buying organic doesn't have be all or nothing. Some types of food are much more heavily covered in pesticide residue than others, so although there are definitely some items that are better to buy organic, it's really not necessary to buy everything organic.

But how can you know which foods to buy organic? The Environmental Working Group has made this much easier for all of us by creating a list they call the Dirty Dozen. These are the top 12 pesticide laden produce items. If you buy nothing else organic on your shopping list, try to find these items in the organic section. If price is an issue, like it is for us, then just watch for when these items are on sale and buy them then. There are several produce items we only buy when they're on sale. When they're not, we just get something else.

The Dirty Dozen

1. Apples

2. Celery

3. Strawberries

4. Peaches

5. Spinach

6. Nectarines--imported

7. Grapes--imported

8. Sweet bell peppers

9. Potatoes

10. Blueberries-domestic

11. Lettuce

12. Kale/collard greens

The Environmental Working Group also has another list--the Clean Fifteen. These are the produce items least covered in pesticides. Our family doesn't bother buying these items organic--ever, because they contain the lowest pesticide load. In this case, we believe it's a better choice to save our money!

The Clean Fifteen

1. Onions

2. Sweet corn

3. Pineapples

4. Avocado

5. Asparagus

6. Sweet peas

7. Mangoes

8. Eggplant

9. Cantaloupe--domestic

10. Kiwi

11. Cabbage

12. Watermelon

13. Sweet potatoes

14. Grapefruit

15. Mushrooms

Everything else falls somewhere in between the Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen. Use your judgment (and balance your budget!) to determine whether or not to buy organic.