12 foods you don’t REALLY have to buy organic
I’ve always found it easier to do something when boundaries are relaxed. Even if you don’t always take up the hall pass, it’s good to know I have the choice. 
In the last little bit I’ve been steering my eating toward organic options as much as possible. It’s not easy. And it’s blooody expensive. At times I’ve thought, is this worth it? I mean, I live in a big, polluted city, my mobile is pressed to my ear much of the day and I eat my bacon carcinogenic-crisp (yeah, yeah, I know). Do the chemical savings earnt from a $7 cabbage negate this toxic baseline?
So I liked this list posted by integrative medicine font Dr Andrew Weil: 12 foods You Don’t Have To Buy Organic. It gives me room to move.
- Broccoli
- Eggplant
- Cabbage
- Banana
- Kiwi
- Asparagus
- Sweet peas (frozen)
- Mango
- Pineapple
- Sweet corn (frozen)
- Avocado
- Onion
Of course, while the chemical harm from ingesting the above foods is low, the toxic fall-out from the sprays etc still run into rivers and cause harm in all manner of other directions…and the more we buy organic, the more we create a demand for it, the more prices will come down.
And for balance, here’s a list of 12 Foods You Should Always Buy Organic:
- Peaches
- Apples
- Capsicums
- Celery
- Nectarines
- Strawberries
- Cherries
- Lettuce
- Grapes
- Pears
- Spinach
- Potatoes
Well I bought the organic apples today. Thank you for keeping this on my radar and quietly prompting me to think more about the choices I make …it is a process of finetuning your choices and habits.
[Reply]
Hi Sarah,
It’s great to have a list such as this, but I’d be interested to know why certain fruit & veg made it onto the ‘always buy organic’ list. For example, why lettuce and grapes?
Thanks,
Vanessa
[Reply]
vanessa – not sarah here, but the usual reason is because pesticides used on some fruits/veg are systemic i.e. they are taken up into the body of the food and cannot be washed off.
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Thanks Rosie!!! Everyone, meet my friend Rosie. She’s a scientist. She knows stuff.
[Reply]
Hi Sarah,
I buy whatever organic food I can find and have done for over 20 years.
I figure that non-organic food is way too cheap. Have you ever tried to grow food? It costs! I believe that what I pay for organic food is like paying a fair price for the product.
And it helps the earth – bonus.
Buying only organic does mean I have less choice, it’s true. And what a blessing that is. I don’t have difficulty making decisions about what to buy and from where. I just buy organic. Now that makes my life simpler, easier.
Carmela
[Reply]
December 28th, 2009 at 9:12 am
i get a certain satisfaction, too, from thinking, “hey, I’m contributing to the demand”.
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Hi Sarah. You may find this amusing, but I never have been picky about organic or not. However, after reading this post I learned something…the pesticides and chemicals finding their way back into our rivers and underground water…and for me this is motivating enough to start going organic. Thanks.
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January 10th, 2010 at 4:44 pm
I like this…this is the angle that gets me fired up, too!
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