Produce :: do you need to buy organic?

First things first, if you are eating more fruits and veggies – that is what's most important! The next step is to look at organic produce and determine where you can fit it in.

Organic?

+ Refers to the way a food was grown, raised, or produced and is certified based on government-defined standards.

Did you know?

+ Back in simpler times, ALL foods were “organic” because they were grown and prepared without pesticides and chemicals. Foods were unrefined or at least minimally processed.

+ The introduction of chemical farming and food processing came with the technological advances of/after World War II.

Top things to keep in mind

+ Organic fruits & veggies are higher in antioxidants and nutrients than non-organic (the soil of non-organic produce is lacking minerals and nutrients from so many years of chemical treatment)

+ Organic produce is free of chemicals, pesticides, synthetic fertilizers.

+ From my experience, organic produce usually tastes better and fresher.

Unfortunately, organic produce usually costs more – and you can’t always find what you are looking for – making it sometimes impossible to buy strictly organic. That said, here are the 14 (dirty dozen+) most contaminated and 15 (clean fifteen) least contaminated to get you started. So, if you want to buy non-organic avocados, it’s not the end of the world! And if you only have access to non-organic produce at this time, it is more important to eat non-organic than none at all.