What are the most important things to buy organic?
In an ideal world, all the food we eat would be organically grown. But with food prices going up faster than they have in twenty years, buying organic foods--which are usually more expensive--may simply be out of reach for many families.
The good news is that you can still dramatically reduce your exposure to pesticides even if you can't buy only organic produce.
The Environmental Working Group recently tested 45 common fruits and vegetables to see which ones had the highest pesticide residues. You may have seen lists similar to this in the past. The highest pesticide residues are found in (listed in descending order):
1. peaches
2. apples
3. celery
4. peppers
5. nectarines
6. strawberries
7. cherries
8. lettuce
9. grapes (imported)
10. pears
11. spinach
12. potatoes
It's particularly unfortunate that apples are one of the worst offenders because we (and our kids) eat more apples than any other fruit except bananas.
The lowest pesticide residues, by the way, were found in onions, avocado, frozen corn, pineapple and mango. You can find the entire list on the Environmental Working Group's website.
Avoid the "Dirty Dozen" and cut your exposure by 90%
But here's the really good news: By avoiding the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables (or buying organic for these), you can reduce your pesticide exposure by up to 90%!
If buying only organically grown produce isn't an option, this information can help you prioritize. If you can't find organic apples or they are just too expensive, you may wish to do without. But you can buy conventionally-grown onions and avocadoes and know that your pesticide exposure is relatively low.
Related content:
See how other ND users are coping with rising food prices
More tips for stretching your food dollar without sacrificing nutrition
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Posted by: Sara Lamberto | Jun 18, 2009 9:17:45 PM
Does anyone know where to find similar information on meats, dairy, grain, etc.? I find that the meat is the most expensive organic item I buy and would like a similar list if one exists.
Posted by: Andy Waltz | Oct 5, 2008 7:41:19 PM
Theresa,
It is true that certified organic doesn't always contain more nutrients, however, this statement can be misleading. First of all, the traditional definition of a 'nutrient' is narrowly defined and does not include the vast number of wellness-promoting phytochemicals that have been proven to exist in higher numbers in no-spray (organic) foods. For instance, resveratrol isn't technically considered a nutrient becuase you don't need it to survive, even though it has tremendous health benefits. So only looking at what the establishment has defined as 'nutrients' is going to give you a limited perspective.
Second, sustainably grown food does indeed contain more vitamins and minerals. While it is true that organic does not mean sustainable, the two often go hand in hand. If you are buying your organic produce from a supermarket, then yes, chances are it comes from a large monocrop farm that lacks biodiversity and high quality soil. However, it you get your organic produce from small farmers then it is much more likely that the produce will indeed contain more viatmins and minerals. It is good to clarify the difference, so thanks for bringing that point up.
Posted by: runrun ukiuki | Aug 28, 2008 7:20:02 PM
Nice site!
Myself, I, more and more sympathetic to the people want to
go and take them to Please, please link
Posted by: Theresa | Aug 20, 2008 3:18:40 PM
It's been a couple years since I read ewg's information about the list so I went back and read again. The list itself still is misleading. It would be more useful to give out a laminated version of the test results. Though that would even mean fewer organic purchases.
I've had this discussion with other people and they get the sense that certain pesticides are safer than others, that it's okay to eat some and not others. Though I do understand that ewg is trying to reach a larger percentage of people by associating it with price.
Andy, you may want to check out ewg's website because there is an article in their news update that states organic doesn't have more nutrients. Of course it is published by the Society of Chemical Industry.
They measured the amount of nutrients by testing the excrement of animals fed the produce. There was no difference in the retention so therefore the organic produce doesn't contain more elements (minerals). It's almost laughable.
Outside of human health concerns, another reason for not using pesticides is that when plants get bit by bugs they release antioxidants (sort of like our antibodies).
Posted by: Andy Waltz | Aug 13, 2008 4:32:52 AM
Reducing pesticide exposure isn't the only health reason for buying organic. It has also been shown in numerous studies that organic produce contains more phytochemicals, vitamins, and minerals. So, what you get with industrial produce is lower amounts of micro-nutrients and and an unnatrual ratio among them. This unnatural ratio, at worst, could have unknown health consequenses. Plants are a complex cocktail of chemicals, with very specific ranges of each chemical ocurring in natural conditions. If this cocktail recipe is altered by unnatural interference, problems cold arise.
At the very least, the industrial produce isn't going to be quite as healthy as its organic counterpart due to having less of antioxidants and other super healthy plant chemicals.
For instance, organic grapes have a lot more resveratrol - a powerful potentially life extending antioxidant - than industrial grapes. What happens to the health benefits of the grapes when resveratrol is greatly reduced? No one knows for sure. I'll stick with organic until we are able to calculate these things with some kind of precision.
Posted by: Rhonda | Aug 12, 2008 2:28:54 PM
Thanks for the EWG website. If you read the information on their study, they clearly state that their rankings come from actual pesticide ON the fruit. Here is what they actually state:
"HOW WAS THIS GUIDE DEVELOPED?
The produce ranking was developed by analysts at the not-for-profit
Environmental Working Group (EWG) based on the results of nearly
51,000 tests for pesticides on produce collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration between 2000 and 2005."
It is always a great thing to know the actual particulars of a study rather than believe misinformation spouted by others.
Posted by: Judie | Aug 11, 2008 4:32:12 PM
I think organic is important, but in today's world, I think we need to balance that with sustainability i.e. buying local first. Is it possible to wash the dirty dozen to lessen the exposure to pesticides? As mentioned by Theresa, buying in season is a key to cost savings and sustainability.
Posted by: Theresa | Aug 11, 2008 11:30:23 AM
The only problem with this list is it doesn't mean peaches and apples have the most pesticides actually on them. It means that the number of pesticides available for use on peach trees is very high. It doesn't mean that that many pesticide residues have been found on individual peaches.
There are only a few pesticides available for use on pineapples and bananas but those pesticides could be more toxic than any pesticide used on peaches or apples. In fact, there is a lot of information available on how toxic the pesticides used on bananas are.
Organic is more affordable if you buy in season. Try buying large amounts and preserving it.
Posted by: Sheila Rae | Aug 11, 2008 11:13:00 AM
I try to buy organic when possible and spend my Saturday mornings at the Farmers Market. Not all local farmers are choosing to go organic but I figure I have a better shot.
I got involved in this whole fresh movement when my son was having health issues and figured out that even with our very healthy eating habits he was just not getting enough fiber. So I created a cookie that has 4 grams of fiber to help my fight to make sure he gets over 20 grams a day.
Posted by: Victoria | Aug 9, 2008 7:16:31 PM
It's a little to hard to avoid the "dirty dozen". Those are like the top 12 fruits and veggies my family eats.
Posted by: Jackie | Jul 29, 2008 5:25:38 PM
If you buy organic food, you should try oso*fresh food storage containers. they keep your food fresh and lock in nutrients longer than any other food storage containers. They are silver infused polypropylene. The silver naturally kills bacteria and mold and they really work. www.thefreshlife.com
