Top 10 Foods to Buy Organic

Organic foods are one of the fastest growing categories of food products available to consumers. You can buy everything from apples to zucchini and plenty of products in between. Some people may buy organic foods because of the environmental friendliness of their production, but more do so to reduce the amount of pesticides and other chemicals they consume. Numerous studies show that the presence of toxic chemicals in the foods we eat is more prevalent than we once thought, but we can reduce our exposure to them by eating organic foods.

Some shoppers may find it difficult to afford buying food grown without chemical fertilizers or pesticide. According to Consumer Reports, you may consumers may find themselves paying anywhere from 50 percent to 100 percent more for organic foods at their local grocery store. The average consumer probably cannot afford to switch everything on their grocery list to organic products. So in deciding between the organic milk and the organic asparagus, which one should take priority? Here’s a list of the top 10 organic foods at your local grocery store.

1. Meat

You may not think of pesticides when considering which cut of beef to cook at your next outdoor barbecue, but maybe you should. You may want to also consider that conventionally raised meat is also likely to contain hormones to speed up growth, antibiotics to resist disease, and pesticides to grow the grain fed to the animals. And according to The Environmental Protection Agency, those same hormones, antibiotics, and pesticides pose significant risks to both humans and wildlife when they enter the environment. Any meat labeled as organic, according to the USDA, must come from animals fed organic feed and raised without hormones or antibiotics.

2. Milk

Like the standards for organic meat production, certified organic dairies must raise their cows without antibiotics or growth hormones, and feed them an organic diet. While pesticides and other chemicals have been found in dairy products, contaminants have usually been in low concentration levels. The big concern with milk and other dairy products, is the amount consumed by most children. Even low concentration levels can add up over time, especially when children are at such an important age of growth and brain development.

3. Peaches

These sweet fruits top the Environmental Working Group’s list of pesticide prone fruits. Because of their soft skin, peaches are more likely to have pesticide residue under the skin, making washing unsuccessful for removing all of the chemical residue.

4. Strawberries

Also making the EWG’s “Dirty Dozen”, a crop of strawberries may receive up to 500 pounds of pesticide per acre. Strawberries purchased out-of-season are probably imported from other countries with even less stringent pesticide regulation than the United States.

5. Apples (and apple juice)

One a day may keep the doctor away, but make sure it’s organic. Conventionally grown apples ranked second on the EWG’s list for organophosphate pesticide residue. Since scrubbing doesn’t remove all residue and neither does peeling, which also takes away large amounts of beneficial nutrients, organic is a much wiser choice.

6. Celery

Celery has no protective skin at all, making it impossible to wash away all of the many pesticides sprayed on conventional celery.

7. Grapes

Thin skin makes it possible for pesticides to permeate the grape. Grapes are also sprayed with several different pesticides during different periods of growth. Imported grapes may have higher amounts of toxic chemicals than domestically grown grapes.

8. Sweet Bell Peppers

Once again, it’s their thin skins that make it impossible to wash away all pesticide residue from sweet bell peppers.

9. Lettuces (all varieties)

Leafy greens of all types are often sprayed with some of the most potent pesticides allowed on food crops.

10. Coffee

Most of our coffee is imported from countries that may not even regulate the use of pesticides on food crops. Look for coffee labeled as Fair Trade Certified Organic. Not only will you rest easy knowing that your coffee was grown without the use of toxic chemicals, but that fair prices were paid for the trade of the coffee and that farm laborers were treated fairly. Call it coffee that’s easy on the conscience.