How To Save Money And Go Organic! Great Choices On Buying Organic!

I will be the first to admit that I love to spend money. I love to shop and buying healthy organic food is no exception (who knew grocery shopping could be so fun-but hey it IS shopping). Unfortunately, I have to be on a budget in all areas and this includes my organic food choices. I looked around and found some helpful information on which are the top foods to buy organic if you are like me and on a budget ( I hate the word budget). Here we go-

Top Foods To Buy Organic-Worth The Money

**Peaches-In some studies, they’ve had up to 10 times as much pesticide on them as other fruits and vegetables.

**Apples-Apples may contain methyl parathion. Both fresh apples and baby food applesauce can also contain chlorpyrifos, an OP which has caused large bird kills. Doesn't sound good.

**Strawberries-Strawberries receive a dose of up to 500 pounds of pesticides per acre.Straw-berries and other produce bought out-of-season are the most likely to have been imported, possibly from a country with less-stringent pesticide regulations.

**Milk-While milk is a natural product, all the antibiotics and hormones that go into high-yield cows most certainly aren’t. Some studies on supplements like recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) used in conventional milk production have suggested links to early puberty and other hormonal abnormalities. Danish studies have shown that not only does organic milk have less of the bad stuff, it has more of the good stuff. Specifically, organic milk has higher levels of vitamin E, omega-3 essential fatty acids and antioxidants. Did you know that Europe has banned U.S. Milk? I also make sure to buy organic cheese, yogurt and all dairy products when possible.

**Meat-. Contrary to a widely reported "fact," meat typically contains less pesticide residue than plant-based foods, according to Debra Edwards, the director of EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs. That said, raising animals with conventional modern methods often means using hormones to speed up growth, antibiotics to resist disease and pesticides to grow the grain fed to the animals (plus I think modern methods promote cruelty to animals-had to get that in there). As the EPA puts it in an Ag 101 feature, "Antibiotics, pesticides, and hormones are organic compounds which are used in animal feeding operations and may pose risks if they enter the environment." Consumers looking to avoid meats raised with these substances can seek out certified organic meat. To meet USDA standards, this meat can come only from animals fed organic feed and given no hormones or antibiotics.

**Coffee-Many of the beans you buy are grown in countries where pesticides and chemicals are not regulated. Look for the fair trade certified organic label on your coffee for assurance.
**Eggs-Though they are a terrific source of protein, most eggs are produced using a range of antibiotics and hormones on the chickens that bear them. Given this, the health gains of eating organic eggs are similar to those of drinking organic milk. Essentially, organic eggs mean fewer hormones in the chicken and fewer foreign hormones (or chemicals acting as hormones) in your body.
**Celery, Grapes and Sweet Bell Peppers-Peppers and grapes have thin skins and celery none which creates little and no barrier to pesticides.

**Potatoes-Chlorothalonil, often used on potatoes, can be particularly harmful to children. In Canada, potatoes have been linked to high rates of asthma and asthma-related deaths in farming communities.

**Lettuce And Spinach-Leafy greens are often contaminated with what are considered the most potent pesticides used on food.

Save Some Money And Probably Don't Need To Buy These Foods Organic-
**Broccoli,
**Bananas
**Frozen sweet peas
**Frozen corn
**Asparagus
**Avocados

**Onions:


Levels of pesticides are low even in conventional versions of these.

Now you are armed and ready to save money and go do some organic shopping!

Heidi

18 comments:

  1. thanks for the heads-up: sweet bell peppers are a staple in my household, and celery's pretty common too... will keep this in mind the next time I'm out shopping :)

    [dropping by via entrecard, btw]

    ReplyDelete
  2. More great information. I love it! Before it's over, I may have to become a little farmer. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great list! I will be buying organic strawberries from now on. 500 pounds of pesticides per acre...YUCK!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very helpful post. I will be on a budget and eating at home for the next few months so those foods will definitely be on my shopping list.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love your blog so much! I've been learning so much about health. I love this article on organic foods! I will definitely be visiting the whole foods store more often.

    Thank you to GLCzone for helping me to find you.
    Annika

    ReplyDelete
  6. how helpful is this, heidi, thank you! the biggest barrier for my buying organic is price. now i know which products i should splurge on. happy shopping!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Nice post Heidi. I haven't made the plunge into organic food yet but it's very helpful for me to have some guidance in this area.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Your own health isn't the only reason to buy organic strawberries. The farmers often use pesticides that are dangerous to communities and the environment. The popular ones are Methyl Bromide (which is an internationally-banned ozone depletor, which the U.S. keeps using with some sort of "emergency" excuse) and MB's alternative, Telone, which was banned in the '90s as a liquid pesticide because of its carcinogenic nature -- now it's used as a gas.

    There are hardly any effective legislated buffer zones for use of these chemicals around neighborhoods, so the farmers just do what they want. It's criminal.

    Okay, off my soapbox now!

    -- Identity Crisis Girl (AKA Anti-Pesticide Girl!)
    http://www.IdentityCrisisGirl.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks for the info. Your list will make buying organic much easier. Great post.

    Tashabud

    ReplyDelete
  10. Great post! I'm going to have to bookmark this one!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great information on the best organic buys! I love strawberries and from now on will buy organic only!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love organic foods - they just plain taste better (maybe because they're allowed to ripen before they're picked instead of picked green & ripening on trucks).

    I never thought about meat before though, I'll have to start paying attention to that one.

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  13. wow, thanks for sharing these information, they're really great guide. i did not know that other foodslke banana and broccoli are as good even if not organic.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hmmm, Milk sounds good and eggs I love eggs. Thanks again for this useful information! see ya soon

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thanks for a real eye-opener. My initial knee-jerk reaction to all the stuff you read about food safety and nutrition is to jump right off the deep end and go 100% organic. You're saving me some $'s.

    ReplyDelete
  16. One of the biggest drawbacks with going organic, for many people, is the cost. This excellent post helps a lot. Thanks!

    peace,
    mike
    livelife365

    ReplyDelete
  17. This is a very useful article - thanks! By knowing which organic food that is worth buying, we can save lots of money! Why need to buy organic bananas when the non-organic ones are not laden with pesticides? Makes lots of sense!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Special thanks for some useful tips,

    You are correct Heidi, We can save money by using Organic foods. Also, those foods give more strong to our body and care our health too.

    ReplyDelete

Fat, Fat I Ain't Down With That! Easy Tips To Revive Your Metabolism!

 I get a little lazy in winter since generally the swimsuit is many months away however this year I am determined to not let the holidays an...