07 May 5 Foods You Should Buy Organic (and 5 you totally don’t have to)
To go organic or not to go organic? Buying organic not only means that your food is free of pesticides and other chemicals, but it’s also better for the environment and supports small, sustainable farmers. But let’s be real: Organic also means expensive, and we don’t want to spend our whole paycheck in the produce section.
Should Buy Organic:
- Strawberries
- Tomatoes
- Apples
- Spinach
- Potato
Strawberries and tomatoes are sprayed with chemicals to keep insects from eating them, and these chemicals soak into the soft skin saturating the fruit with lots of chemicals. Apples also absorb chemicals through their thin skin. And some are sprayed with diphenylamine, which is actually so toxic that it was actually banned in Europe. Don’t forget to buy organic for apple juice and applesauce, too. Spinach has spongy, porous leaves that, unfortunately, are excellent at soaking up pesticides, making buying organic a total no-brainer here. The humble, hearty potato doesn’t seem like something that would scream out for organic options. But it might be the most important. One study found that conventional potatoes had more pesticides than any other crop.
No need to buy organic:
- Avocado
- Broccoli
- Asparagus
- Onions
- Kiwi
Avocadoes might be hard to peel, but that thick outer skin also protects you from harmful chemicals. Recent research on broccoli samples showed that more than 70 percent were totally pesticide-free. Asparagus also tends not to carry much chemical residue, making it safe to skip out on organic. Onions are other veggies that there is not a huge need to buy organic. Because they have layers that you peel, you’re never consuming the outer layer, where the chemical residue lurks. Pesticides also are rarely used on kiwis (and plus, you don’t eat the skin anyway), so they’re a totally safe bet for going non-organic.
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