Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Organic vs. Conventionally Grown Produce

Photo from EWG

Organic refers to produce produced without synthetic chemicals or fertilizers, genetic engineering, radiation or sewage sludge. Sounds like we should be eating only organic, right? But just because it's labeled "organic" doesn't mean it's healthy. Examples: organic gummy worms, organic cookies, etc. It's also confusing because there are some that say that it's just a waste of money to buy organic and others that say it's the best dollar(s) spent. So what's a person to do? Well...there's a group, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) comes out with a list each year of the most pesticide ladend produce and ones with barely any at all based on extensive testing from the US Dept. of Agriculture. It feels like a safe bet to me :) 

The Dirty Dozen
  • strawberries
  • apples
  • nectarines
  • peaches
  • celery
  • grapes
  • cherries
  • spinach
  • tomatoes
  • sweet peppers
  • cucumbers
  • hot peppers
  • kale

Clean 15
  • avocado
  • corn
  • pineapples
  • cabbage
  • sweet peas
  • onions
  • asparagus
  • mangoes
  • papayas
  • kiwi
  • eggplant
  • honeydew
  • grapefruit
  • cantaloupe
  • cauliflower
Hopefully this helps a bit when buying produce.

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