Why do we buy organic?
When a food is not organic, it is often grown or raised using man-made chemicals, pesticides, fossil fuel or sewage-based fertilizers, or genetically modified seeds. Ideally, we'd all like to buy foods that don't have these characteristics, right? Right! But sometimes that's not possible. Organic food is expensive and not all of us can afford it all the time. I'm going to give you a list of fruits and vegetables that are least likely to have pesticides on the parts that you actually eat, after washing them of course. This way you can spend more on the thin-skinned produce that you really should buy organic. Local vs. organic are two concepts that are constantly being debated, ideally you want both, but sometimes that just isn't feasible. Organic foods can have a pretty large carbon footprint and come from hundreds or even thousands of miles away. These are great foods to focus on buying local, you don't have to spend more money to buy them organic and the carbon footprint will be fairly low. So let's count em' down...
1. Avocado: They have thick skin that protects the fruit from the pesticide.
2. Eggplant: According to the Environmental Working Group, eggplants are the least likly to be contaminated by pesticides.
3. Broccoli: These crops don't see many pests, so that means less spraying. :)
4. Kiwi: They are protected by there outer armor.
5. Asparagus: Asparagus also face few pest threats, so they are rarely sprayed.
6. Pineapple: Talk about some armored skin. It protects the sweetness from the chemicals.
7. Onions: Pests don't like the smell, so they stay away, and so do the pesticides!
8. Cabbage: It doesn't take a lot of pesticides or fertilizers to grow cabbage, so it tends to not hold the chemicals.
9. Watermelon: That's some thick skin.
10. Banana: It's outer peel protects from any chemicals used.
Obviously, if you can buy all these organic...go for it! Supporting organic food helps organic farmers and tells big business that this is what we want the standard to be. If you can't buy organic all the time, focus on local food and buy organic with thinner skinned produce like berries, apples and tomatoes, for health purposes. Hopefully some of the organic pressure has been lifted off your shoulders! Now when you go to the farmer's market, you'll know your stuff :).
Photo credits: faqs.org & upcloseandpersonalcorner.blogspot.com
Monica Schrock is a vegetarian, bicycle-riding environmentalist, tattoo enthusiast and social media junkie. You can catch her drinking an iced coffee and reading a comic book (probably Tank Girl) at any given moment. She hearts our planet and gives tips on how to lower our environmental impact on her own site, Low Impact Betty. Stay updated on her low impact adventures by connecting with her on Twitter and Facebook.
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