7 Best Foods To Buy Organic

 by Caroline Young | June 25, 2013

While it may seem like the organic food movement became popular over the past two decades, it is actually a much older concept. Everyone ate organic fruits and veggies before World War II, because all crops were organic. It was after that when many farmers started “conventionally” growing crops: spraying them with new, synthetic pesticides and chemicals to reduce weeds, insects, and rodents. Now, many of us enter the produce section with some confusion, as we are offered every fruit and veggie grown in two very different ways.

What’s The Difference Between Conventional and Organic Foods?

Conventional foods differ from organics in several ways, including the use of chemical versus natural fertilizers (i.e. compost) to feed soil and plants. Conventional farmers also use synthetic herbicides to manage weeds, while organic farmers use environmentally generated plant-killing compounds. Therefore, organic produce has significantly fewer pesticide residues than conventional produce.

The USDA organic regulations also ban the use of food additives, processing aids, and fortifying agents found in conventional foods, like artificial sweeteners and coloring, preservatives, and monosodium glutamate.

Global organic food sales have skyrocketed from a total of $1 billion in 1990 to $29 billion by 2011. However, those numbers only represent about 4.2 percent of all food sold in the U.S. during this time period.¹ And as more and more people buy organic foods for their health benefits, these foods often get a bad rap for higher costs.

In the conversation over benefit vs. price, some studies reveal doubt around organic foods truly having significantly higher nutritional benefits than conventional foods.² Despite the skeptics, there is a rising agreement in the scientific community that small amounts of pesticides and other chemicals have negative effects on health. Pregnant women and mothers should especially be aware because studies show fetuses and young children are more prone to harmful exposure of low levels of pesticides.³

1) Potatoes

When deciding which foods to buy organic, potatoes are a must. Most conventionally-grown have one of the highest pesticide contents among fruits and veggies. The USDA discovered 81% of potatoes tested in 2006 contained pesticides even after being washed and peeled.

2) Beef

When animals are conventionally raised, they are fed growth hormones and medications to fight disease and speed growth, which inevitably end up in our hamburgers and our bodies. The hormones push cows’ estrogen and testosterone levels unnaturally high. In turn, those hormones can possibly have strong effects on our natural body processes. The European Union actually banned all hormones in beef.⁴ On the other hand, organic farmers try to match the natural behavior of animals and permit access to the outdoors. To reduce diseases, organic farmers take measures like rotational grazing, clean housing, and organic balanced diets with no animal by products.⁵ For more information and research, see Grass Fed Beef: Is It Worth The Extra Money?

3) Milk

To increase the quantity of milk produced, cows raised conventionally are given rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone), which is also banned in the European Union, as well as in Japan, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. While there is no solid scientific evidence rBGH can harm us, it can benefit us to drink milk free of rBGH because it is possible that this hormone may raise the amount of other cancer-causing chemicals in our bodies.

4) Apples

Apple peel is one of this popular tree fruit’s healthiest parts, offering phytochemicals that can reduce risk of cancer and heart disease. Unfortunately, the peel is where pesticides accumulate, putting apples at the top of the organic foods priority list.⁶

5) Strawberries

Do you wonder why the conventional strawberries sometimes appear a bit brighter in color than their organic counterparts? It’s because some of them are enhanced with a substance containing the contaminant fungicide captan. Plus, conventional strawberries with the most pesticides are often the imported ones because pesticide restrictions are not always the same in other countries.

6) Kale and Spinach

While spinach and kale offer many nutrients with very low calories, they are often sprayed with more than 20 kinds of pesticides before being tossed in our salads and cooked in our omelets. A USDA study found 57 pesticide residues in spinach.

7) Peaches

Peaches, while juicy and delicious, are high on the list of tree fruits for being the most susceptible to pesticide residue, and usually contain levels above the legal limits. Pesticide levels on peaches are shown to be repeatedly above legal limits, and ten times greater than other fruits. Contaminants in peaches are fungicides captan and iprodione, which have been linked to cancer.⁷

Going Organic Can Help Our Planet

Production of conventional foods may cost the planet a whole lot more than a few extra bucks at the grocery store. Overtime, pesticides and herbicides used in the harvest of conventional foods contaminate groundwater, promote erosion, and destroy soil structures. Plus, they can threaten the U.S. food supply by contributing to “colony collapse disorder,” or the mysterious die-off of pollinating honeybees.

Conventional Produce Is Better Than None

While it is beneficial to our health and planet to buy organic foods as much as possible, it can be hard to dole out the extra cash, especially during slower economic times. If it is just not in the budget, don’t fret. The Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit that advocating for policies to both individual and global health, created a list of produce called the “Clean 15,” which are your safest choices. They have the smallest pesticide load and the safest conventional foods to consume. Some of the foods include mushrooms, pineapple, avocado, asparagus, and sweet potatoes.⁸

Remember, it is important to keep plenty of fruits and veggies as part of a balanced diet, and not to sacrifice the benefits of eating fruits and veggies for the risk of pesticide exposure. Focus on going organic when it fits into your life, especially focusing on the foods you eat most often and high-pesticide foods, including BuiltLean’s top seven.

http://www.builtlean.com/2013/06/25/organic-foods-buy/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=organic+&utm_campaign=weekly+newsletter+&inf_contact_key=26b18b5ffa069d506d511fe52d0790a0b6890b9e676ddf4358b832aba333f986

Do you work for BuiltLean?

No.  They are a very knowledgable group though which is why I share them.  Working out is 70-80 percent diet correct?  Well working out and dieting is 90% mental in my opinion.  This includes having the knowledge to know what to do.

Follow-up question: Are you built lean?

thread spamming I see

lol no.  Builtlean was created by Marc Perry

If you want to call them spam sure.  I'd prefer to spam stuff that is actually benificial to your everyday life and good for your body opposed to a lot of the stuff we see on this website. Sorry but my plastic box is better than your plastic box ;)

so i'll just have to not eat anything.

Of the foods listed I don't consume potatoes, beef or dairy. Dairy is horrible on the digestive system. As for the leafy greens, I am in total agreement with this. I do my best to buy them in the organic form, but it is difficult for me since the organic food store is relatively far away, and it does not make economic sense for me to go there by bus, so I try to get as much kale, spinach, baby spinach and green mix on the weekends when I go with my family by car. When I'm out I go to the store two blocks down which sells conventional.

I'm also in agreement about apples. I noticed the inorganic ones have a film on the skim. :/ I don't get that from the organic apples.

Pesticides are inevitable in today's world though. I try to detoxify every now and again. I drink cericee tea which cleanses the blood and I switch between activated charcoal and bentonite clay to pull out impurities in my body (metals, herbicides, pesticides, germs, etc). Drinking a lot of water is good too.

Good thread by the way. We should have more of these unconventional stuff around to keep people informed.

I like these threads! Interesting, and a refreshing change.