PrintBy Melissa Neiman
eDiets Contributor
Are organic foods really worth the hefty price tag? Unfortunately, the answer to this common question is not as cut and dried as your favorite fat-free apple chips. That’s because, according to the experts, sometimes it pays to go organic and other times it doesn’t.
The biggest benefit (and selling point!) of organic foods is that they don’t contain any synthetic ingredients, such as pesticides, hormones and preservatives. These “all natural” foods are also better for good ole Mother Earth. Translation? By buying organic you’re doing yourself and the planet a huge favor.
But buying all organic, all the time, is a surefire way to blow your grocery budget. So, how do savvy shoppers know when to scrimp and when to splurge? Luckily, the Environmental Working Group, a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit organization, has done us all a favor and identified the “dirty dozen” – 12 common produce items that contain the greatest amount of pesticide residue.
Buy Organic or Bust
Attention health-conscious shoppers! According to the EWC (and eDiets Director of Nutrition Pamela Ofstein) the following fruits and veggies top the charts when it comes to residual pesticide. So put your hands where we can see them, slowly step away from the shelf and proceed with haste to the nearest organic aisle:
- Apples
- Bell peppers
- Blueberries
- Celery
- Cherries
- Grapes (imported)
- Kale
- Nectarines
- Peaches
- Potatoes
- Spinach
- Strawberries
Pears and raspberries are also major culprits, according to Pam.
Why do these produce picks pack such a pesticide punch? It depends on the fruit or veggie in question. Peaches and nectarines, for example, tend to requite greater amounts of pesticide for conventional growth. Bell peppers, on the other hand, have super thin, permeable skins, which are no match for potentially harmful insecticides. And strawberries may be imported from a country with less stringent pesticide regulations.
“It may also pay to go organic when it comes to baby food, dairy, eggs, meat and poultry,” says Pam.
“Seafood is left out of this list as the U.S. Department of Agriculture has not set standards for organic seafood. Currently wild and farmed seafood can be labeled organic even if they contain contaminants (mercury and PCBs),” warns Pam.
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