May 24, 2012


A Shopper's Guide to Buying Organic Produce

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Organic produce is wonderfully health and tastes better tooOrganic farming is good for the environment and organic foods are great for your health. Many studies suggest organic produce has more nutrients primarily due to the soil being less depleted and without pesticide residue. This is great, except for the fact that buying organic is just more expensive. Many people today find it difficult to justify the additional cost of buying organic. Fortunately, a recent report spells out which fruits and vegetables are more/less crucial in buying organic. The selection is based on levels of pesticide residue on the parts of the produce regularly consumed. If you can't buy everything organic, here’s a quick guide to help you reduce your pesticide exposure by up to 80%.


Highest Pesticide Content

Lowest Pesticide Content

Fruits

  • Peaches
  • Strawberries
  • Apples
  • Blueberries
  • Nectarines
  • Cherries
  • Grapes (imported)



Vegetables

  • Celery
  • Bell Peppers
  • Spinach
  • Kale/Collard Greens
  • Potatoes


Fruits

  • Avocado
  • Pineapple
  • Mangos
  • Kiwi
  • Cantaloupe
  • Watermelon
  • Grapefruit
  • Honeydew Melon


Vegetables

  • Onions
  • Sweet Corn
  • Sweet Peas
  • Asparagus
  • Cabbage
  • Eggplant
  • Sweet Potato


Obviously this is not an comprehensive list. It does, however, cover many common items in your produce section. In addition, here is a rule of thumb to keep in mind for other produce you may be questioning. If the fruit or vegetable has a thick skin, like avocados, honeydew or corn, it will generally offer some protection to help reduce the amount of pesticide that comes into contact with the edible part of the produce.


We recommend that all produce be washed with a bristle brush and if possible soaked in a vegetable wash. This can assist in reducing pesticide exposure as well as ingesting other chemicals, waxes and contaminants. There are various vegetable washes on the market today. You can also use a natural vinegar rinse which is a powerful green cleaner. If the budget is not a concern the easiest way to protect you, your family and the environment is to buy organic whenever possible.




1 Comment

  • Comment Link S. Suchindranath Aiyer Monday, 05 September 2011 19:14 posted by S. Suchindranath Aiyer

    The need of the hour is to just ban chemical pesticides and fertilizers and let the world find stasis.

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