Organic fruits and vegetables are extremely nutritious and beneficial to your health, but they can be expensive and put a dent in your wallet. I want to share with you a "cheat sheet" for shopping for organic produce. I will provide you with information about which fruits and vegetables are essential to buy organic and which ones you can get away with buying the conventional versions.
Due to the amount of pesticides that are used in commercial agriculture, the table below lists the produce that should always be purchased organically. The reason for this is that the peeling or skins of these fruits and vegetables are usually eaten. Regardless of how much you wash these fruits, there is a good chance that there are still pesticides within the fruit or vegetables themselves. Based on the Environmental Working Group, the top 12 foods to buy organic include:
Grapes | Cherries | Nectarines | Strawberries |
Potatoes | Spinach | Blueberries | Peaches |
Kale/Collard greens | Bell peppers | Apples | Celery |
The Environmental Working Group is a reliable source when trying to decide on what to buy organic. According to their latest 2010 pesticide review, the following 12 foods rank as the most pesticide-free produce, even when conventionally-grown, so you can save a few bucks by opting for the conventionally-grown version of these:
Onions | Pineapple | Asparagus | Eggplant |
Avocados | Mango | Kiwi | Cantaloupe |
Watermelon | Frozen sweet peas | Cabbage |
For the whole list of produce, ranked from best to worst in terms of pesticide load, please go to:
http://www.foodnews.org/fulllist.php
