Avoiding pesticides is one obvious reason to buy organic produce, but a recent article in the Wall Street Journal notes that just because some fruits and vegetables are conventionally grown doesn't mean they are laden with scary chemicals.
When you want a crunchy apple, a succulent strawberry or a juicy peach, organic may be the way to go because these crops contain higher levels of pesticides than other conventionally grown produce. Yet, when it comes to avocados, oranges and bananas, it seems the pesticide residue may be low enough not to warrant the extra expense of buying organic. For more detailed information about smart produce shopping visit the The Environmental Working Group.
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Just wanted to thank you for this great post. This is exactly the kind of thing I was hoping for when I suggested that you focus making sustainable eating budget-sensitive as well. Thanks!
Please don't forget that buying organic food is not just about limiting your own personal exposure to pesticides, but also about changing our environmentally destructive agriculture system. Organic farming is beneficial for farmworkers, wildlife, water quality, etc. While it might be more expensive to buy organic avocados, bananas, and oranges, there are hundreds of good reasons to do so BESIDES limiting your own intake of pesticide residues.
Thanks Beth. While it's always preferable to support the values of organic farming, it's not always possible. It's important to remember that not everyone has access to, or can afford to buy organic all the time. In this post, I just wanted to point out that there are other, viable options available.
Andrew Weil has listed in the past the twelve fruits & vegetables that are grown with the worst &/or highest levels of pesticides that wind up on our isles. The Environmental Working Group created the same list.
They are the following:
1. strawberries
2. peaches
3. spinach
4. apricots
5. cherries
6. cantaloupe (Mexican, in wintertime)
7. celery
8. apples
9. grapes (from Chile)
10. Bell peppers (green & red)
11. cucumbers
12. green beans
Most of the apples that wind up in grocery stores are grown for colour & size, unfort. not for flavor. They're really a joke. I have an apple tree on my property that produces apples that explode in your mouth with flavor picked straight from the tree. It's hard to find anything else that compares.