Top Foods to Buy Organically
Understand Which Certified Organic Foods to Buy
Have you ever wondered which organic foods you should invest in? When comparing the cost of an organic apple to a non-organic apple it is easy to be swayed; however you must consider the hidden costs of your health and that of the environment. To better help you assess where to spend your money here are the top foods you should and shouldn’t buy organically.
Dirty dozen food list
There are some fruits and vegetables that are grown with a very heavy dose of agricultural chemicals, resulting in higher levels of these toxins in the food. As a result, these are the foods you should buy organic whenever possible. The Environmental Working Group has come out with the following Dirty Dozen list to help you navigate through the world of organic produce (get the Full List here). Always look out for the organic certification label.
- Celery
- Peaches
- Strawberries
- Apples
- Blueberries (Domestic)
- Nectarines
- Sweet Bell Peppers
- Spinach
- Collard Greens/Kale
- Cherries
- Potatoes
- Grapes (Imported)
'Safe' non organic food list
At the same time, some crops are naturally easy to grow without agricultural chemicals. As a result, they breeze through organic certification tests (hooray!), making both organic and conventional choices equally safe and environmentally beneficial. So if you’re watching your budget then consider buying these without organic certification:
- Onions
- Avocados
- Sweet corn
- Pineapple
- Mangos
- Sweet peas
- Asparagus
- Kiwi
- Cabbage
- Eggplant
- Cantaloupe
- Watermelon
- Grapefruit
- Sweet potato
- Honeydew
- Melon
To gain a better understanding of what organic food means check out ecolife's Organic dictionary definition as well as the our Guide to Organic Food and What is Organic Food?.
