| Sure, we have all heard that organic fruits and | | | | Pears |
| vegetables might be healthier for us but in these hard | | | | Grapes (Imported) |
| economic times, who wants to pay those expensive | | | | Spinach |
| prices? Find out how you can save money and still | | | | Lettuce |
| live free of harmful chemicals with this helpful guide | | | | Potatoes |
| to understanding organics. | | | | A good rule of thumb when you're in the grocery |
| Have you ever stood in the produce section of your | | | | store and can't remember this list is to consider the |
| grocery store glancing back and forth between the | | | | fragility of the skin or leaves of your fruit and |
| organic apples and the conventional (regular) apples | | | | vegetable. The thinner the skin, the higher chance |
| wondering "Why should I pay more for organic? | | | | you should still buy organic. But don't forget, that |
| They look exactly the same!" I have, and nine times | | | | leaves many fruits and vegetables that you don't |
| out of ten I'll choose the conventional apple simply | | | | need to buy organic. |
| because they are cheaper. The truth is buying one or | | | | What You Don't Need To Buy Organic |
| two apples at a time makes it hard to conceptualize | | | | Saving money is just as important as eating healthy |
| the benefits I receive for spending that extra money | | | | and with this list of produce that doesn't need to be |
| on organic quality and I think this might be the case | | | | organic, you can do both. Not all fruits and vegetables |
| for many of us. | | | | are grown with harmful additives or pesticides. |
| Why Buy Organic? | | | | Sometimes certain produce isn't sprayed as heavily |
| In order to understand how we can save money | | | | with pesticides. Additionally, fruits and vegetables with |
| when it comes to organic produce, we must first | | | | thicker skins are generally much better at keeping |
| understand what "organic" really means. The term | | | | harmful chemicals out of the food inside. Not to |
| "organic" can be confusing and often times, it sounds | | | | mention, when the skin is thicker (like with oranges |
| like a health fad that will come and pass. | | | | and lemons), we don't eat the skin anyway. That |
| Organic refers to a crop or animal raised without the | | | | means that buying organic fruits and vegetables with |
| use of pesticides or antibiotics. In today's day in age, | | | | thicker skins serves virtually no benefit over their |
| many farmers and crop growers like to get the most | | | | cheaper conventional counterparts. Save your extra |
| yield out of what they've got so they use extra | | | | bucks and buy the following produce items from the |
| hormones or pesticides to grow larger amounts of | | | | conventional aisle. |
| food that will last longer. The concept is a great one | | | | According to Organic.org. the 12 produce items least |
| and really helpful for communities who aren't as close | | | | contaminated by pesticides are: |
| to sources of food, but the problem is it isn't natural. | | | | Onions |
| Over time, continuous consumption of unnaturally | | | | Avocado |
| raised crops or animals can have negative effects on | | | | Sweet Corn (Frozen) |
| our nutrition. Many of these chemicals or hormones | | | | Pineapples |
| decrease the amount of nutrients therefore making | | | | Mango |
| fruits, vegetables and meats less healthy. | | | | Asparagus |
| What To Buy Organic | | | | Sweet Peas (Frozen) |
| The most harmful conventional foods are those that | | | | Kiwi Fruit |
| most easily absorb pesticides. Whether they have | | | | Bananas |
| thinner skin like apples or grapes, or they have more | | | | Cabbage |
| surface area to allow pesticides to infiltrate (like | | | | Broccoli |
| berries), you should only consume the organic variety | | | | Papaya |
| of these fruits and vegetables when possible. | | | | Just remember, there is no need to buy organic |
| Additionally, fruits and vegetables that are coming | | | | thick-skinned produce! |
| from farther away will be sprayed with more | | | | More Organic Money Saving and Healthy Tips |
| preservatives, ridding this produce of most of their | | | | Pay attention to what your family eats. If your |
| nutrients. This list of the twelve most pesticide-prone | | | | family loves apples, go for the organic apples as they |
| foods is called the Dirty Dozen. | | | | are probably ingesting many chemicals from |
| The Dirty Dozen is a list of foods that are most | | | | conventional apples. If you notice you're buying |
| susceptible to chemicals in crop raising and in which | | | | grapes and no one's eating them, it's not as |
| you SHOULD purchase the organic variety. According | | | | necessary to buy the organic variety. Make a list of |
| to Organic.org, they are: | | | | your family's favorite fruits and vegetables and keep |
| Peaches | | | | it with you when you go grocery shopping. |
| Apples | | | | Shop Seasonally. Many grocery stores like to feature |
| Sweet Bell Peppers | | | | seasonal produce by putting these items on sale. |
| Celery | | | | Many grocery stores that feature organic foods like |
| Nectarines | | | | Whole Foods will promote their organic items as they |
| Strawberries | | | | are seasonal, allowing savings to be had for both |
| Cherries | | | | conventional and organic produce. |