Organic Foods: Tips for Buying Organically

Least Contaminated Vegetables

Buying organic foods can be expensive, and some produce is less likely to be contaminated than others. In order to stay within budget, many of us may have to focus on eliminating (or buying organic) those foods with the highest amounts of pesticides, chemicals, additives, and hormones.

๐Ÿ’ก Tips for Buying Organically

๐Ÿช Purchase from your local farmer's markets, not your supermarket.

  • โ€ข Join a community-supported agriculture program if available (buy directly from farms)
  • โ€ข Plant a garden; even small spaces can produce fresh food
  • โ€ข If shopping in supermarkets, look for locally grown items (fresher than others)
Least Contaminated Fruits

The LEAST Contaminated Foods ๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ No Need to Buy Organic

The following food items are the least contaminated and you don't necessarily need to purchase organic versions.

๐Ÿฅ— Vegetables

  • Asparagus
  • Avocados
  • Broccoli
  • Cabbage
  • Onions

โš ๏ธ Note: Avocados are extremely nutritious but toxic to birds!

๐ŸŽ Fruits

  • Bananas
  • Kiwi Fruit
  • Mango
  • Papaya
  • Pineapples

The MOST Contaminated Foods ๐Ÿšจ Always Buy Organic

The following food items are the most contaminated and you should always buy organic.

๐ŸŸ Fish

Meats & Dairy Products
"One of the foods that health practitioners recommend for good health and longevity is fish and yet, increasingly so, it is becoming one of the most contaminated protein sources in the world."
See which fish to eat and avoid

๐Ÿฅฉ Meat & Processed Foods

โš ๏ธ The Dangers of Red Meat / Processed Meats:

๐Ÿ”ฌ Antibiotics & Hormones

Animals are exposed to antibiotics, growth hormones, and steroids that end up in the meat we eat. Long-term effects are largely unknown but inherently dangerous.

๐Ÿงช Preservatives

Sodium Nitrate is added to preserve meats and maintain red color. The USDA tried to ban it in the 1970s. Researchers use it to induce cancer in lab animals.

๐ŸŒฝ Corn Syrup

Processed meats contain high-fructose corn syrup, linked to liver disease, obesity and other health problems.

๐Ÿšœ Pesticides

Animals are fed pesticide-treated crops, which accumulate in their tissues.

๐Ÿ“Š Research Findings:

Studies show that just one sausage a day can significantly raise your risk of bowel cancer. Eating 1.8 ounces of processed meat daily raises cancer likelihood by 20%.

Processed meats include:
โ€ข Bacon โ€ข Ham โ€ข Pastrami โ€ข Salami โ€ข Hot dogs โ€ข Sausages โ€ข Hamburgers (with additives)

๐ŸŒฑ Benefits of Grass-Fed Beef:

Compared with corn-fed beef, grass-fed beef is higher in:

Beta-carotene Vitamin E Omega-3s Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) Calcium Magnesium Potassium

โœ… Recommendations:

Whatever toxins the food animals eat may end up in you. The options are to either change to a vegetarian diet, or buy organic meats from animals raised without growth factors, antibiotics and steroids - commonly referred to as "free-range." For your family's health and humanitarian reasons, it's best to buy organic/free-range or switch to a vegetarian lifestyle.

๐Ÿฅ› Milk and Dairy Products

Dairy Products

A recent European-wide study found that levels of antioxidants in milk produced by organically-raised cattle were 50 to 80 percent higher than in normal milk.

The fat in dairy products is a haven for pesticides, antibiotics and bovine growth hormones. These get passed on through commercial milk, cheese, and butter. Organic dairies do not use chemicals or growth hormones like rGBH or rbST.

โš ๏ธ Not-so-organic: Horizon (Dean's) Organic Milk

Comes from factory-style dairy farms where animals are kept in intensive confinement. The corporation packs as many as 8,000 cattle onto feedlots with little or no access to pasture, misleadingly labeling these products as "organic".

โ˜• Coffee

Coffee

Many beans are grown in countries that don't regulate chemicals and pesticides.

Look for Fair Trade Certified label for assurance that chemicals weren't used and that fair prices were paid to farmers.

Learn about decaf risks and coffee's health benefits โ†’

๐ŸŽ Most Contaminated Fruits

Apples

๐ŸŽ Apples and Pears

The FDA states that more pesticides are found on apples than any other fruit or vegetable. Up to 36 pesticides discovered on conventionally grown apples.

Health Risks:

  • โ€ข Reproductive system damage
  • โ€ข Brain and nervous system damage
  • โ€ข Decreased intelligence in children
  • โ€ข Immune system damage

๐Ÿซ Blueberries

52 pesticides are used on blueberries, making them one of the dirtiest berries.

Washing may not remove all pesticide residues

๐Ÿ‡ Grapes

โ€ข Treated with 35 different pesticides

โ€ข Thin skin allows deep penetration

โ€ข Imported grapes have higher contamination risk

Peaches

๐Ÿ‘ Peaches & Nectarines

Peaches have the highest pesticide load. Nectarines are not far behind. 45 different pesticides are regularly applied to these delicately skinned fruits in conventional orchards.

Strawberries

๐Ÿ“ Strawberries & Cherries

Strawberry plantations average a dose of up to 500 pounds of pesticides per acre.

Methyl Bromide used on strawberries is an endocrine disruptor that competes with iodine in the thyroid, potentially causing hypothyroidism.

๐Ÿˆ Cantaloupe

Often contaminated by Dieldrin, a very toxic and carcinogenic insecticide that still gets absorbed through roots even though banned in 1974.

๐Ÿฅฌ Most Contaminated Vegetables Celery

๐Ÿฅฌ Celery

Celery has no protective skin, making it almost impossible to wash off the 29 different chemicals used on conventional crops. Among the 12 foods where pesticide residues are most frequently found.

Lettuce

๐Ÿฅ— Lettuces

Leafy greens are frequently contaminated with the most potent pesticides used on food.

๐ŸŸข Green Beans

Over 60 pesticides registered for use on green beans in the U.S.

๐Ÿฅ’ Cucumbers

Ranked 12th most contaminated food and 2nd in cancer risk due to pesticide content.

๐ŸŽƒ Winter Squash

Often contaminated by Dieldrin, banned in 1974 but still absorbed through roots.

Bell Peppers

Potatoes

Root vegetables rank highest for pesticide residue. Treated multiple times during growing, harvesting, and storage.

Bell Peppers

Sweet Bell Peppers

Thin skins offer little barrier to pesticides. May be coated with nearly 40 commonly used pesticides.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes

Easily punctured skins allow chemical penetration throughout the tomato.

Avoid CANNED tomatoes: BPA in can linings leaches into acidic tomatoes, linked to health problems.

๐Ÿ‘ถ Baby Food Warning

Non-organic baby foods are typically made with chemically-treated fruits and vegetables. Infants have less developed immune systems, making them more vulnerable to toxins.

๐Ÿฟ Microwave Popcorn

The bag lining contains compounds that may be linked to infertility in humans. In animal testing, these chemicals cause liver, testicular, and pancreatic cancer. Microwaving causes chemicals to vaporize and migrate into popcorn.

Toxic Overload