Why Organic Food Over Regular Food

I started a healthier way of living this past summer because I wanted to reduce my family's health and nutrition. The most common objection I hear to people buying organic food is not that they think it’s pointless. It’s that since they can’t afford to buy everything organic, why mess with it? This is not necessarily the case. Small steps towards healthy eating or as many of you been hearing in the news as clean living. Food is essential to life. We all need to work to reduce our toxic footprint in this world and eating organic, food not treated with chemicals or genetically modified from the way nature intended it.

All living things have a toxic load. It is the load, what we carry in our beings, of things that are detrimental to our well-being. Now, we live in a pretty toxic world–from exterior toxins, from air pollutants, pollutants in the soil, and other environmental pollutants. The pesticides used on the crops we eat all toxic because most are not naturally derived and are formulated in some lab.

Even if you cannot afford to purchase everything organic consider that the higher you are on the food chain the greater the toxic load. It is preferable that you choose organic meat, fish, poultry and seafood due to the reduced toxicity in these items. Below are two lists which will provide you some helpful hints on other items you should consider eating organic and those that you can skip due to budget constraints.


The Clean 15 (lowest in pesticides)

1. Onion
2. Avocado
3. Sweet Corn
4. Pineapple
5. Mango
6. Asparagus
7. Sweet Peas
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Papaya
12. Watermelon
13. Broccoli
14. Tomato
15. Sweet Potato

When all else fails, the produce to avoid if at all possible are the "dirty dozen". These are known for having the highest levels or pesticides.
The Dirty Dozen

1. Celery
2. Apple
3. Bell Pepper
4. Peach
5. Nectarine
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Kale
9. Lettuce
10. Grapes
11. Carrot
12. Pear

Check out local farms and co-ops.
A great resource is LocalHarvest.org, they have a full list by zip code of farms in your area. Some will sell directly to you, and others have set up produce co-ops and CSA farms to help you get a discount on great items.
Buy in Bulk.
If you find a local farmer to work with, ask for the bushel or half bushel price. You will usually get a price break to buy a larger amount. Then bring it all home and put it up in the freezer to eat later in the year.
Stay in Season.
This is a no-brainer for anyone trying to save on produce. Obviously buying out of season produce costs more, so try to plan menus and snacks around produce that is available.
Look for Coupons.
Many organic stores will release coupons for particular items and products.  There are coupons from the manufacturers for organic products as well, some in the past have been Olivia’s salads, Earthbound Farms and others.
Save on other Necessities.
While organic produce may be a priority in your family, there are certainly other items like toilet paper, toothpaste and razors that you can easily save money on. Focusing on saving where you can frees up more of your budget for specialty items that are harder to find deals for.

If you feel safer using a something other than water, here’s a home recipe for a spray you can use to help kill some contaminants. If you wash your produce as soon as you get home it will kill bacteria and spores and your produce will last longer too!

Get a new spray bottle
Add:
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon white vinegar
1 cup water

Leave this on your produce for 1-2 minutes and then rinse well.