To buy organic ... or not to buy organic ... that is the question??
Received this article in our weekly newsletter from our chiropractor's office ... this is definitely helpful information for those of us who are trying to eat better, more organically, but are on a rather tight food budget, have several mouths to feed or just gasp at the prices of organic produce. I'm definitely gonna give this a try on my next grocery shopping trip ... will let you know how it works =) Be sure to visit www.foodnews.com for a downloadable PDF version of the list.
12 Foods You Don't Have To Buy Organic and 12 You Should
Environmental Working Group (EWG) (www.ewg.org)
The Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org), a nonprofit organization that advocates for policies that protect global and individual health, produces the Shoppers' Guide to Pesticides in Produce. It is based on the results of nearly 43,000 pesticide tests.
Organic fruits and vegetables are by definition grown without the use of pesticides. But some find the expense of organic foods prohibitive.
Of the 43 different fruit and vegetable categories in the Guide to Pesticides, the following twelve foods had the lowest pesticide load when conventionally grown. Consequently, they are the safest conventionally grown crops to consume.
12 Foods You Don’t Have to Buy Organic:
* Broccoli
* Eggplant
* Cabbage
* Banana
* Kiwi
* Asparagus
* Sweet peas (frozen)
* Mango
* Pineapple
* Sweet corn (frozen)
* Avocado
* Onion
The Environmental Working Group also determined the foods with the most pesticides.
Of the 43 different fruit and vegetable categories tested, these had the highest pesticide load, making them the most important to buy organic versions - or to grow organically yourself.
12 You Should Always Buy Organic:
* Peaches
* Apples
* Sweet bell peppers
* Celery
* Nectarines
* Strawberries
* Cherries
* Lettuce
* Grapes (imported)
* Pears
* Spinach
* Potatoes
Why should you care about pesticides? The EWG points out that there is a growing consensus in the scientific community that small doses of pesticides and other chemicals can have adverse effects on health, especially during vulnerable periods such as fetal development and childhood.
A few other notes from the EWG: Nectarines had the highest percentage of samples that tested positive for pesticides (97.3 percent) followed by peaches (96.6 percent) and apples (93.6 percent). Peaches had the highest likelihood for multiple pesticides on a single sample: 86.6 percent had two or more pesticide residues.
Also keep in mind that maintaining your family's health is not the only reason to choose organic food. Pesticide and herbicide use contaminates groundwater, ruins soil structures and promotes erosion, and may be a contributor to "colony collapse disorder," the sudden and mysterious die-off of pollinating honeybees that threatens the American food supply. Buying or growing organic food is good for the health of the planet.
Sources:
•FoodNews.org Printable Shopper’s Guide
www.foodnews.org
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