The Organic 'It' List.
Now that I am responsible for feeding a little human being on daily basis I usually try to buy all vegetables and fruit organic either at the farmers market or Wholefoods. After a long work week you couldn’t pay me to trek to the city this weekend to my favorite Trader Joe’s which meant I shopped at the local grocery store which always leads me to ask myself “what can I not buy organic?” rather then buying all organic. I seem to have this quandary often and did a bit of research and found these tips to be the most helpful. I was 9 out of 14 and honestly thought potatoes were fine not being organic, who wouldn’t thunk it? Buying all organic is the ideal, yet if trimming the grocery bill is a must in your budget, having an organic guideline can be part of every savvy’s shoppers list.
1. Potatoes
Potatoes often retain pesticides even after they are washed and peeled. Almost 80 percent of potatoes contain pesticides.
2. Baby food
Babies are the most vulnerable to pesticides, and they eat a lot of this.
3. Peanut butter
Non-organic peanut butters are high in pesticides and fungus and contain aflatoxin, a potential carcinogen.
4. Milk
Dairy cows are routinely fed hormones, antibiotics, and pesticide-covered grains, all of which can end up in your milk. The higher the fat level of the milk, the higher the level of pesticides. And toddlers drink lots of whole milk.
5. Apples
Apples are near the top of the high-pesticide-level list. They’re also a favorite of kids; apples, apple juice, and applesauce are among the most common foods eaten by children ages 1 to 5, according to a USDA survey. So buy organic if you can.
6. Meat
Animal feed is often laced with antibiotics and synthetic growth hormones. Residue from these chemicals may still be present in meat. The use of antibiotics in food production could contribute to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
7. Nectarines
About 97 percent of nectarines have been found to contain pesticides, according to the USDA.
8. Spinach
Spinach and lettuce have lots of surface area for pesticides to cover. More than 83 percent of spinach contains pesticides.
9. Peaches and pears
Nearly 94 percent of peaches and pears contain pesticides. Peaches are number one on the Environmental Working Group’s list of foods with the most and the highest concentration of pesticides.
10. Strawberries
Thin skins make fruits particularly vulnerable to pesticides. Some 90 percent of strawberries contain pesticides.
11. Bell peppers
Peppers absorb pesticides like a sponge. About 68 percent of peppers contain pesticides and many are imported from countries with looser standards than the US has
12. Eggs
Pesticides may pass from chickens to eggs, and from there to the many foods you make with them. Organic eggs come from birds that eat organic feed and are not pumped up with growth hormone or dosed with antibiotics.
13. Imported grapes (from Chile, etc)
Some 86 percent of these grapes contain pesticides. And it’s pretty hard to peel a grape.
Tips via Reader Digest
Photo via Marsha Mcgowan, I could not find photographer credit.