In a perfect world, we would all eat perfectly, right?
For me, that would mean 100% organic, local, and grass-fed.
Oh, and since it’s a perfect world, I wouldn’t be tempted by cookies.
However, it is not a perfect world- organic foods are often more expensive and cookies are just so flippin’ tasty.
So, instead of worrying about eating perfectly all the time, I pick and choose my battles (and local always trumps organic for me).
I do try to buy organic when possible and I always try to purchase the organic version of foods that are most likely to be contaminated by synthetic pesticides, while the foods that are less likely to be contaminated I worry less about.
According to the CDC 1.1 billion pounds of pesticides are used every year in the US.
Think about this:
Pesticides are designed to kill, that is their one and only purpose.
Sure, they are designed to kill tiny bugs and fungi and humans are much bigger, so they don’t kill us, but they can do damage.
Once those toxins get into our body they wreak all kinds of havoc:
- Damage the brain and nervous system
- Increase risk of cancer
- Impact the endocrine system and lead to hormone disruption
- Irritate skin and eyes
The people who work in agriculture have it even worse- between 10,000-20,000 pesticide poisonings occur each year in the 2 million agricultural workers according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
While the USDA says that produce grown organically has the same nutrient content as produce grown in a conventional manner, there are benefits to purchasing organic.
For starters, there is a environmental impact that goes along with organic.
Organic farming practices are kinder, don’t use the harmful chemicals and more sustainable for the environment.
The good news:
Even if you cannot afford to buy 100% organic all the time, there are a few foods that have a higher pesticide load than others which you should consider buying organic.
By carefully picking and choosing which foods you purchase organic, you can decrease the amount of pesticides you ingest (and check out the Clean Fifteen– the produce that is least likely to be contaminated by pesticides and not as important to purchase organic).
No matter what– eating fruits and vegetables is important and the benefits of including them in your diet far outweighs the detrimental effects of pesticides, no matter if they are organic or conventionally grown.
According to the Environmental Working Group, people who “often or always” buy organic produce had a significantly lower amount of organophosphate insecticides in their urine than those who “rarely or never” purchased organic produce, and they ate 70% more fruits and veggies.
Cooking also helps!
Cooking conventionally grown produce helps to lower the pesticide levels, so if you don’t purchase organic, at least give the more vulnerable produce the once over in a hot skillet, grill or oven.
So, without further ado, the six foods you should be purchasing organic:
1) The Dirty Dozen
So this one is actually a list of 12 fruits and vegetables that are most susceptible to absorbing pesticides.
Scary fact: 99% of the apples tested for pesticides by the USDA tested positive for pesticides. Those are definitely on my list of things to purchase organic!
Give Organic Bell Peppers A Try In This Recipe!
Paleo Southwestern Chicken with Peppers
2) Hot Peppers
Not on the Dirty Dozen list, but still of concern.
Hot peppers are high in organophosphate and carbamate- highly toxic pesticides that are not allowed on other kinds of produce and are of special concern.
Give Organic Hot Peppers A Try With This Recipe!
Easy and Authentic Pad Thai
3) Leafy Greens
Same issue as the hot peppers.
They didn’t make the cut for the dirty dozen but tend to be high in the toxic organophosphate and carbamate.
Give Organic Leafy Greens A Try With This Recipe!
Pineapple Coconut Fried Rice
4) Milk
Milk is often contaminated with rBGH, a hormone which may or may not impact health, depending on which study you read.
Organic milk is not treated with hormones or antibiotics.
Children may be more susceptible, so consider buying organic if you have young kids.
A study by Stanford confirmed that conventionally grown and organically grown produce have the same nutrient content, but did find that organically raised cows produced milk higher in omega-3 fatty acids.
5) Beef
Hormones show up in beef on super market shelves and -more disturbing- pesticides can accumulate in the fat of cows.
While it’s not a lot that shows up in the fat, they can accumulate in the human body.
Give Organic Beef A Try With This Recipe!
Stuffed Eggplant with Spiced Ground Beef, Bulgur and Pine Nuts recipe from The Mediterranean Dish
6) Chocolate
Chocolate is reported to use the most pesticides of any other agricultural product besides cotton.
The US does place limits on the amount of pesticides that imported cocoa beans and chocolate products can contain. However, choosing organic means avoiding these pesticides.
One thing that goes into my personal decision to purchase organic chocolate is the social responsibility that generally goes along with companies producing organic chocolates, including fair trade practices. (Disclaimer- I am not a huge fan of chocolate anyway. Blasphemy, I know, but I don’t purchase it a lot so it is easier for me to splurge on a more expensive bar less often).
Give Organic Chocolate A Try With These Recipes!
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Yogurt Dip
Homemade Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
Coconut Nutella
A lot goes into the decision to purchase organic vs. conventional foods.
I try to buy organic when I can, but mostly I try to buy local.
Organic certification from the USDA is voluntary so many local farms and markets use organic practices but do not have the certification.
Purchasing locally– through a CSA or at a Farmer’s Market- is a great way to get to know the people who grow your food. Ask them about their practices and support your local farmers.