Which Vegetables To Buy Organic

Healthy eating habits should include a rainbow of fruits and vegetables. However, if the produce you buy is conventionally grown rather than organically grown, you and your family will may end up ingesting harmful pesticides. Pesticide levels vary. Some conventional produce contains low levels and is therefore safe, while some contains such high levels that buying organic is the only option.

Why Should You Choose Organic Produce?

Buying organic fruits and vegetables assures you that the food you are eating was grown without synthetic pesticides. Depending on the organic certification applied, other regulations may be in place, such as prohibiting the use of pesticides within the last three years and buffer zones between organic and non-organic farms. According to the 2008-2009 Annual President's Cancer Panel Report, nearly 1,400 pesticides have been approved for use by the Environmental Protection Agency for agricultural and non-agricultural use. The report states that exposure of these pesticides has been linked to several types of cancers including "brain, breast, colon, lung, ovarian, pancreatic, kidney, testicular, and stomach cancers, as well as Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and soft tissue sarcoma."

Organic Shopping on a Budget

Organic food is almost always more costly than conventional. If you are shopping on a limited budget but would still like to choose organic, you might need to choose certain products that are grown organically and some that are not. You can also grow your own food or visit local farmers markets. Ask the farmer if he uses pesticides. Some farmers follow organic principles, but cannot afford or choose not to become certified organic.

The Dirty Dozen

"The Dirty Dozen" is a list compiled by the Environmental Working Group of the top 12 fruits and vegetables by pesticide contamination level. The list, with the most contaminated listed first, includes celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, blueberries, nectarines, sweet bell peppers, spinach, cherries, kale and collard greens, potatoes and grapes. Washing your produce and peeling may eliminate some pesticides, but peeling removes valuable nutrients, and pesticides will still be present as the produce has been sprayed throughout the entire growing period. If you are interested in lowering your consumption of pesticides, always choose organic when buying these items.

The Clean 15

"The Clean 15" is a list put out by the EWG of the "cleanest" conventional produce. These fruits and vegetables had the lowest pesticide contamination, in some cases even showing no detectable pesticide residue. If you would like to save money and buy some conventional produce, these are the safest choices. The list, by order of safest first, includes onions, avocado, frozen sweet corn, pineapples, subtropical and tropical mango, frozen sweet peas, asparagus, subtropical and tropical kiwi fruit, cabbage, eggplant, domestic cantaloupe, watermelon, grapefruit, sweet potatoes and honeydew melons.