When to Buy Organic Produce

We all know that eating fruits and vegetables are good for your health and well-being. But when is it worth it to buy organic fruits and vegetables?

The Environmental Working Group has come up with a list of foods that you should definitely get organic and when it doesn't really matter.

What does it matter? Basically, produce is exposed to pesticides which we all know is not good to ingest. However, eating fruits and vegetables is better than not eating them at all. The "Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce" will show which fruits and vegetables have the highest residue of pesticides and when it is most important to buy organic.

 "This year we have expanded the Dirty Dozen with a Plus category to highlight two crops -- green beans and leafy greens, meaning, kale and collard greens - that did not meet traditional Dirty Dozen criteria but were commonly contaminated with highly toxic organophosphate insecticides. These insecticides are toxic to the nervous system and have been largely removed from agriculture over the past decade. But they are not banned and still show up on some food crops." (Source)

Usually, if you don't eat the outside, it's probably clean. Such as: onions (the layers!), corn (the husks!), grapefruit (the peel!). When you go grocery shopping, print up a list of produce that you should probably get organic. Happy shopping! (: 

P.S. I created a printable sheet so you can bring it with you shopping! Click on the above link that says "printable" and download! 

This post is written by Karel.
Adapted from: EWG's 2012 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce
The Dirty Dozen Plus and the Clean 15 Yahoo Article
The Dirty Dozen & Clean 15 images from the Locavore Mama