Do You Know When To Buy Organic?

Most of us cannot afford to buy 100% organic when we grocery shop- I know I can't. Here's some information to help you decide what foods are better, i.e. healthier, when organically grown: the Environmental Working Group (EWG) advises that consumers can reduce their pesticide exposure by 80% by avoiding the most contaminated fruits and vegetables and only eating the cleanest ones. If consumers get their USDA-recommended 5 daily servings of fruits and veggies from the 15 most contaminated, they could consume an average of 10 pesticides a day. Consumers who eat the 15 least contaminated conventionally grown produce ingest less than 2 pesticides daily. The "dirty dozen" are the foods with the highest concentrations of pesticides and chemicals — even after washing and peeling, so buy organic whenever possible.

12 Most Contaminated:
(Buy organic when possible)
  1. peaches
  2. apples
  3. sweet bell peppers
  4. celery
  5. nectarines
  6. strawberries
  7. cherries
  8. pears
  9. imported grapes
  10. spinach
  11. lettuce
  12. potatoes
15 Least Contaminated
(Okay to buy non-organic)
  1. Pineapple
  2. Honeydew Melon
  3. Cantaloupe
  4. Watermelon
  5. Grapefruit
  6. Kiwi
  7. Mangoes
  8. Sweet Potato
  9. Onions
  10. Eggplant
  11. Sweet Peas
  12. Asparagus
  13. Cabbage
  14. Avocado
  15. Sweet Corn

Comments

Sheree said…
Great information!!! Another rule of thumb is thinking about those fruits and veggies that are "thin-skinned" being potentially the culprits. Thanks!
Sheree
Tamera said…
Great article. I certainly had no idea there were that many pesticides on my fruit. I thought I was eating healthy, Thanks for the info. Keep it coming!
Elena said…
Thanks, Tamara! I also didn't realize that sometimes washing fruits and vegetables just isn't enough. Did you download the free shopping guide?
Robin said…
Congratulations on your SITS day. I hope it's everything you've been wishing for.
LBDDiaries said…
I remember when I learned the foods I didn't need to buy organic on - saves money, that's for sure. I also wash my oranges, peppers, etc., in a mixture of warm water and white vinegar - helps get the pestisides and wax off. Visiting from SITS - going to check out your other posts!
Jennifer said…
Thanks for the breakdown! I thought bananas would be on he second list too, no? Oh man, thanks for this!!

And happy SITS Day!
Anonymous said…
Happy SITS Day^^

xoxo
2Commentaristas said…
Visiting from SITS. This is really great information.

Thank you, I will make sure to keep this list handy, possibly taped on my fridge.
Anonymous said…
Loved the list! So helpful! Love my veggies and fruit - and want them in good health! Congrats on your SITS day in the spotlight!
great post! stoping by from sits
Happy SITS day! I've seen similar lists before and am just too cheap:(
LisaDay said…
The dirty dozen is a scary list as we eat most of what is on it.

Happy SITS day.

LisaDay
Gaspegirl said…
Congratulations on SITS day... and awesome logo!

Make it a great day
I've seen this list before and at one time, was fairly good at sticking to it... I need to start again.

Great Blog! I'm about to follow so I can keep reminding myself to be Green!

Happy SITS Day!
ch said…
Great list! I'm definitely going to print it and take it with me the next time I go shopping.
Congrats on your SITS day!
Susie said…
Congratulations on your SITs feature! I hope you enjoy your day in the sun:-)
jamie @ [kreyv] said…
Thanks for the info. I would have never know. Great blog! Thanks for sharing!
AiringMyLaundry said…
Great info. I rarely buy Organic but I'll keep this in mind in case there is ever a sale or something.

Happy SITS Day to you!
April said…
BIG CONGRATS on being today's FB! You have an awesome blog with lots of great information!
Angie said…
While looking at your list I realized that I actually grow several of those items myself, which made me feel pretty good. I drive a hybrid car, use cloth grocery bags, recycle as much as possible, and reuse or repurpose more things than I realize (mostly as a cost saver). But, other than I know I have a long way to go before I'm living as well as you do. Thanks for the info!

P.S. Happy SITS day!
Just Me said…
for a while I had the 'dirty dozen' printed out to take with me to the store because I would always forget!
Mrs. H said…
Happy SITS day! Thanks for this post. I recently decided to make a change to using more natural/organic and trying to go green around my household. I definitely look forward to following along. Just from today's post I've learned a few things, some I knew but some I didn't. Thanks!!
Tina L. Hook said…
I try to do organic whenever I can. This list is very helpful.

Happy SITS Day. I am your newest follower.
Good to know! I wish I could buy all organic, but at least now I have a guide about which things are more contaminated.

Stopping by from SITS, and I'm so glad I found your blog! I've been independently studying natural health for 4 years (particularly the issue of toxins in our environment). I'll definitely be following your blog!
Gina said…
Cool list, thanks!
divinepainter said…
I love your logo. Visiting from SITS! Happy blogging.
Anonymous said…
I love this guide! I strive to be 100% organic but sometimes I can't even find what I need/want organic.

Happy SITS day!!
Anonymous said…
Thanks for the list of foods to buy organic when possible. It looks like the summer fruits (watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew) will be safe and I hope inexpensive this year!
Morgan said…
Very interesting ... and definitely some food for thought :)
Semper Wifey said…
Great post! I recently learned about the "dirty dozen" and have been using it as a guide to help with my shopping. Not too much organic where I am!

Congratulations on your SITS feature!
Shan said…
Excellent information! Very useful and will definitely bookmark. Have a beautiful day :)
OMG! Yummy said…
congrats on your SITS day! This is a very helpful list - should keep it in my phone to refer to when shopping. Thanks for sharing.
Unknown said…
Happy SITS day! This is a great list -- always a good reminder!
Lauren said…
Thanks for this - my husband and I discuss what is worth the organic cost all the time. This is a great list to keep handy.

Happy SITS day!
Anonymous said…
Happy SITS Day! This is great information! I didn't know I should buy organic strawberries and it is one of my family's favorite fruits! Thank you.
Happy SITS day! Glad I found your blog because I love green living! No paper towels, meat and plenty of recycling in my household! :)
Eve said…
WOW I had no idea washing doesn't remove everything. I love buying organic anyway, but this list def helps. Thanks! Glad I found you on the SitsGirls web site!
Lisa Johnson said…
Thanks for sharing this information. I just tweeted it! I'm here from SITS. Congratulations on your SITS Day! ; )
Great information. We grow our own veggies and also buy organic from local farmers. I enjoyed my visit to your blog. Happy SITS day! Hugs
Christina Simon said…
Great post, visiting you from SITS. It is good to know which items are more heavily sprayed than others. Will follow you too.
Thank you! Thank you! I knew there were some that you don't necessarily have to buy organic, but I couldn't remember which ones. Now, I can make some smarter choices! I have written down the list.
ChiMomWriter said…
Thanks for these tips - As much as it's helpful to know what's most contaminated, it's also great to know what we DON'T have to buy organic... These grocery bills are killin' me! :)
Hi there, I'm visiting from SITS. Great information - thank you so much for sharing.
Ok I know LOTS of people are going the organic route, but I like this list becuase it tells you what is REALLY important.

Thanks!
happy stis day!

♥ theMRS.
HeatherArtiste said…
Thanks so much for this list. It is always hard to keep track of.
Unknown said…
Happy SITS Day! What great information you're sharing! Looking forward to following you now.
Stephanie Faris said…
Eeeek. I buy the microwavable potatoes because they're easy...but maybe I need to rethink that! Happy SITS day!
Anonymous said…
I love hitting up my local farmer's market to get some fresh goodies!! congrats on your sits day!
Really interesting. I try to buy organic as much as possible, but of course it's not always possible. Do you happen to know where things like wheat products (bread/pasta/etc) and dairy come on this kind of scale?
Sandra Wilkes said…
Thanks for the info. The more we know about how, when, why to buy organic the better off we are. Really appreciate it!
Sandra
Unknown said…
Happy, Happy SITS day!!! I love your blog! So very helpful, informative and fun! You are an inspiration.

~Melissa
Reflections on Writing
Great info! I'm always confused as to when I should buy organic foods.

I just found you via SITS! Great blog! AND, I love your logo!
jenn said…
happy sitsday!
Amanda said…
Happy SITS day! Thanks for yor tips. Look forward to browsing.
Wow! This is an awesome article. I didn't know that there were some things that were better to buy organic than others. I definitely can't afford (or have access to) all organic food all the time, but knowing this will probably mean I buy some organic stuff more often.

Found you on SITS. Love your blog!
Tiffany said…
Congratulations on your SITS day! I have been browsing your posts. I had no idea the uses for white vinegar. My friend just told me about using the vinegar/water mix to clean the kitchen and microwave.
I love finding more ways to help our planet!
Unknown said…
Thanks for the tips! I get most of my veggie intake from the top 15, so this is good to know!
Carina Schoen said…
Definitely a good list to have handy - thanks for sharing!
CK said…
Oh this list is SO great! Thank you!
Unknown said…
Thank you for this beautiful blog. You do a wonderful job. This is a great list. I'm printing it and putting it with my grocery list!
Selena and Anna said…
Thank you so much for this list!!! I've been hearing a lot about contaminated fruits and veggies. Only recently did I realize how bad they were. This really helps as far as choosing what to buy organic!!! Happy SITS day too:-)
Unknown said…
Visiting from SITS...thanks for the helpful list!
I have been eating more spinach lately so thank for letting me know I need to start buying organic.

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