12 Foods You Should Buy Organic!

To buy organic or not to buy organic, that is the question. Buying organic is always preferred because it means your produce is pesticide free, and you support small sustainable farmers, which in turn is good for the environment.

However, buying organic can definitely get pricey and we don’t want to spend our entire food budget in the produce aisle. Just yesterday I chose to buy non-organic blueberries because they were almost $10 cheaper then the organic, not to mention the package of the organic was much smaller.

So which produce should we absolutely buy organic, and where can we save our money by buying non-organic? Well thanks to the men and women at the Environmental Working Group (EWG), they’ve compiled a list of what they call “the dirty dozen.” 12 foods that contain a ton of pesticide residue. Here they are:

Strawberries

Nothing better than some chocolate dipped strawberries, but if you’re not buying them organic you could be consuming more than 22 different pesticides! Shocking I know, but because strawberries have a porous skin, it was discovered that almost 99% of strawberries contained pesticide residue. Purchase organic strawberries!

Spinach 

The EWG reported that spinach contains the most pesticides by weight, and a high concentration of permethrin, which is a neurotoxic pesticide. I eat spinach practically everyday in my smoothies, so it’s best to buy organic when it comes to this super leafy green.

Apples 

An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but not if they’re covered in pesticides. The EWG reported that 90% of apples had detectable pesticide residue, and 80% tested for diphenylamine (a pesticide that has actually been banned in Europe for being carcinogenic).

Grapes 

Now I love me some grapes, especially the crushed, aged and bottled grapes=wine. Grapes are the perfect snack and easy to grab, however, more than 96% of grapes contain pesticide residue, so it’s important to buy these babies organic, even the bottled ones.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are one of my favorite fruits, full of flavor, vitamins and unfortunately pesticides. The EWG reported that one sample of tomatoes contained more than 15 different pesticides and breakdown products. WOW!

Peaches & Nectarines

I LOVE peaches, especially in a nice warm bowl of porridge. But peaches and nectarines contain over 90% pesticide residue, so buying them organic is extremely important.

Cherries

Organic cherries can be a bit pricey, but it’s worth your health to purchase organic. 30 Percent of cherries contain iprodione which is a pesticide believed to cause cancer, and is banned in European countries.

Pears

While pears aren’t the worst on this list, more than half of pears tested by the EWG contain pesticides. You are better off buying organic if you can afford it.

Celery

With the popular celery juice craze going on right now, it’s best to go organic. More than 95 percent of celery tested contained pesticides, including 13 actual different types of pesticides.

Potatoes

French fries, need I say more? Surprisingly, the potato might be the most important produce to buy organic. The EWG found that potatoes had more pesticide residue by weight than any other crop.

Bell Peppers & Hot Peppers

Bell peppers and hot peppers both contain a high amount of pesticide residue. However, even though they contain fewer amounts of pesticides than others on this list, the pesticides they contain are highly toxic, making it important to buy organic.

Foods That Don’t Need to be Organic

• Avocados
• Melons
• Asparagus
• Corn
• Onions
• Pineapple
• Eggplant
• Kiwi
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Peas
• Mangoes
• Papaya

Can’t find organic produce or just can’t afford it? Check out “Don’t Panic if you Can’t Buy Organic! How to remove pesticides from your produce“.

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