The Dirty Dozen: Is Buying Organic Produce Really Important?

A question I receive frequently is “Does buying organic produce really matter?” 

If you are able, buying organic is always the better option. When a food is labeled 100% Organic, it means the food you are consuming hasn’t been treated with synthetic pesticides or insecticides. It has been grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, GMO’s, or ionizing radiation.

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This is important because when you consume inorganic produce you could be consuming up to 30 different types of pesticides which are metabolized by your body and stored inside your colon. People who consume more pesticides are more likely to develop cancer, Alzheimers Disease, ADHD, and have children with birth defects. It can harm the nervous system, the reproductive system, and the endocrine system.

This is serious. This is important. For you and for your children. 

Cost: Eating organic, in most instances, is more expensive.

It’s difficult to stand in the middle of the grocery store, between the organic strawberries and the conventionally grown, and chose the one that is almost double the price of the other. Knowing and seeing first hand all of the benefits of eating an organic diet, I still struggle with this. 

Parting with the money is difficult, especially if your grocery budget is already tight. We invest in so many things; houses, vehicles, education, entertainment. Why is our health not more of a priority? Shouldn’t our bodies be the first thing that we invest in and take care of?

The Dirty Dozen

The dirty dozen is a list of 12 fruits and vegetables that contain the most pesticides when conventionally grown. These are the foods that are most important to purchase organic. 

The Clean Fifteen

These 15 fruits and vegetables are the least likely to be contaminated with pesticide residue. If you are working with a smaller grocery budget you can feel confident purchasing these 15 fruits and vegetables conventionally. 

Several years ago my husband and I watched this youtube video about a family from Sweden. Watch what happened after this family cleaned out their cupboards and went organic for two weeks. CLICK HERE.

The linked video/study above is one of many examples of why it’s a good reason to eat organic foods. For more information and resources about eating organic, a couple of sites I’ve found helpful are:
www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.php and www.organic.org.

For the most up to date version of the dirty dozen and the clean fifteen go here.