Buying Organic

Buying organic can be expensive. But, to me it is worth it. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a non-profit partisan organization dedicated to protecting human health and the environment. The EWG releases a shoppers guide to pesticides in produce every year, which is called“The Dirty Dozen” and “Clean 15”. The “Dirty Dozen” is a list of produce that has the highest pesticides and you should buy organic. The “Clean 15” is a list of produce that has the least pesticides. So, if you can’t afford to buy everything organic, you should buy non organic from the “Clean 15” and organic from the “Dirty Dozen”.

Image via “Produce Market guIde”

You may be wondering, what does “organic” even mean! Well, when something is organic it is grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetically modified organisms, or ionizing radiation. The absence of pesticides and fertilizers boost plants production of phytochemical’s (vitamins and antioxidants). Therefore, eating organic is healthier and non-organic fruits and veggies have less phytonutrients.

What are phytochemical’s exactly? For plants to protect themselves from the highly reactive oxygen, plants developed antioxidant compounds, phytochemical’s. Phytochemical’s protect plants against bacteria, fungi, viruses and cell damage. The same phytochemical’s that protect plants also help us, who eat them.

TIP: I love to clean my veggies and fruit with raw apple cider vinegar.

Dirty Dozen

• Strawberries

• Spinach

• Kale

• Nectarines

• Apples

• Grapes

• Peaches

• Cherries

• Pears

• Tomatoes

• Celery

• Potatoes

Clean 15

• Avocados

• Sweet corn

• Pineapples

• Sweet peas (frozen)

• Onions

• Papayas

• Eggplants

• Asparagus

• Kiwis

• Cabbage

• Cauliflower

• Cantaloupes

• Broccoli

• Mushrooms

• Honeydew