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Which Foods Are Most Important To Buy Organic?

Which Foods Are Most Important To Buy Organic?

Most people know it’s a good idea to buy and eat organic foods whenever possible. Even those who aren’t particularly health-conscious are aware of this. However, it’s all-too-common for consumers to stare blankly at their kitchen’s subway tile backsplash, trying to make a shopping list filled with organic options that don’t empty their wallet. Healthy organic foods are almost always more expensive than nonorganic items — often dramatically more expensive. This can leave many people wondering if it’s even possible to be health-conscious and budget-conscious at the same time.

Fortunately, it’s absolutely possible, as long as you know which foods to buy organic and which you’re safe buying from the regular aisles.

Some foods aren’t much different, whether they’re organic or not. However, the foods on this list should always be purchased organic to avoid accidentally ingesting nasty chemicals. Knowing which foods are most important to buy organic will help you stretch your dollars as far as possible, helping you stay healthy and save money.

Coffee

Coffee is the third most sprayed crop in the world, just behind tobacco and cotton. And while neither cotton nor tobacco ever makes its way into our diets, 30% of the entire population drink coffee occasionally. For many people, two or even three cups of coffee is a part of their daily routine. So if you’re only going to buy one organic food regularly, you should make it this one.

Pesticides used on coffee plantations are supposed to be partially neutralized during the roasting process, but even worse than the effects they have on your body may be the effects they have on nature. These herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides can have negative long-term effects on farmers and the environment. If more people choose organic coffee, however, this won’t have to be a problem forever.

Dairy Products

The right dairy products are an essential part of a balanced diet. They are also important in having strong teeth and a healthy smile, which 99.7 percent of adults believe is socially important. Don’t settle for the cheapest butter, cheese, or jug of milk on the shelf, though. Nonorganic dairy products usually come from cows that received antibiotics, growth hormones, and a grain-only diet. What goes into the cow eventually makes its way into the milk and unhealthy animals can only produce poor-quality products.

And as if that wasn’t enough, animals in conventional industrial farms typically aren’t treated well and don’t enjoy lives that are healthy or pleasant. Not only does this ultimately mean poorer health for those who consume the animals or their milk, but it also means the animals themselves suffer needlessly while alive. Buying high-quality organic dairy products is a better option for you and our animal neighbors.

Grapes (and Wine, Too)

There are a lot of reasons to buy organic, but when it comes to grapes and products made with grapes, the reasons become even more convincing.

Many people enjoy a glass of wine now and then, especially at celebratory events like weddings and anniversaries. Even if you don’t drink wine, you probably eat grapes at least once in a while. Unfortunately, grapes have been found to contain multiple different types of pesticide residues. To make sure that your healthy treat or relaxing drink doesn’t carry any adverse effects with it, always buy organic grapes and wines and try to wash your grapes well before eating them.

Apples

As we all know, you should visit your doctor at least once per year and you should eat an apple a day so you don’t have to see them more often. One reason apples are so famous for being healthy is that they’re a good source of fiber, which helps keep your digestive tract in shape. But if your apples aren’t organic, you may want to reconsider: most apples contain residue from at least one pesticide.

Besides washing your apples before eating (which is something you should do with just about any fresh food you buy), try to find apples that are organic. This also applies to products like apple sauce and apple juice, which can be even worse than nonorganic apples because they’re so highly concentrated.

Tomatoes

If you love topping hamburgers with tomato slices or adding grape tomatoes to salads, you’ll want to make sure the tomatoes you’re buying are organic. The USDA Pesticide Program showed that tomatoes can carry 69 different pesticides. And since you always eat them with the skin left on, you’re even more likely to get those pesky chemicals in your system. When you’re looking for tomatoes for your next barbecue, go organic.

Peppers

Peppers are fascinating fruits. Not only do they possess an unusual flavor spectrum, from mildly sweet to intensely spicy, but they’re also known for a variety of health benefits. That’s because peppers contain a chemical known as capsaicin, which may help relieve nasal congestion and even fight off cancer.

Unfortunately, nonorganic peppers are likely to contain other chemicals that aren’t so helpful. Conventional grocery store peppers can carry up to 75 different pesticide residues, including recognized carcinogens and neurotoxins. No matter what kind of budget you’re on, when you buy peppers, they should always and only be organic.

Sadly, organic hot peppers aren’t as easy to find as other organic options, especially in smaller grocery stores. If you can’t find or can’t afford hot peppers, try using onions instead. They offer a similarly spicy flavor and they’ve been shown to be fairly clean, even when they’re not organic.

Leafy Greens

Dietary experts recommend that you eat five servings of vegetables every day and for many people, those servings come from tasty salads. From spinach to kale, leafy greens are worth splurging on to get organic. This is because the leaves offer a wider area for chemicals to stick. Considering that you can’t peel leafy greens and you need a lot of them to make a satisfying salad, the result is a concentration of pesticide residue on your plate. To avoid this problem altogether, go organic and be diligent when you’re rinsing or soaking greens as you prepare them.

And there you have it: these are some of the most important foods to buy organic. Even if you’re on a budget, to enjoy the best health possible, try to always buy these foods in the organic section.

Smart Ways To Shop Organic

Smart Ways To Shop Organic

Once limited to health-food stores, organic products have now become so widespread that they can be found in the average grocery store. They may be ubiquitous, but they’re also more expensive.

According to WebMD, consumers can expect to pay as much as 50-100 percent more for organic foods. Part of this increase can be attributed to higher production costs, as organic products do have to comply with standards set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Another factor is perception: Consumers typically believe organic foods to be healthier, and more sustainable, and so expect to pay a little extra.

If one’s goal in buying organic is to eat more sustainably, cheaper options, such as buying local or seasonal produce, are just as effective as buying organic. Rather than shell out for organic products that have been shipped in, you can learn more about sustainable, local eating at simplesteps.org

If the goal is to reduce exposure to pesticides, there are steps you can take to determine whether it’s worth the extra cost.

One easy place to save money is on fruits and vegetables that have thick peels or rinds that protect from pesticide contamination. Foods such as avocados, onions, pineapples, sweetcorn, mangoes, kiwis, and even quinoa have all been found to be low in pesticides and are naturally insect resistant, reducing the need for chemical additives. Also save on broccoli, papayas, asparagus, and bananas.

Unlike most foods, the USDA does not regulate use of the term “organic” on seafood labels, so be wary of brands using the term. Instead, choose fish with low mercury contamination that is sustainably harvested, such as herring, flounder, tilapia, trout, wild salmon, or lobster produced in North America.

Avoid shark, farmed salmon, tuna, imported swordfish and canned crab. More information can be found at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch.

In order to be certified as organic, eggs, meat, and poultry must be sourced from animals that have never received antibiotics or growth hormones. Truly organic meats can be difficult to find, so be wary of labels and carefully prepare foods at home. This guide can help locate restaurants and grocery stores that carry organic meats and poultry.

To sum up: It’s worth spending a little extra for organic on thin-skinned fruits that absorb pesticides and other chemical additives more easily. Fruits such as peaches, apples, cherries, strawberries, nectarines, and pears have all been found to contain high percentages of chemical contaminants and are not naturally resistant to insects. Vegetables worth splurging on include bell peppers, celery, spinach, potatoes, and lettuce.

Even when buying organic produce, the best way to reduce pesticide exposure is to thoroughly clean and prepare food before consumption. Wash fruits and vegetables under streaming water to remove excess dirt, residues, and bacteria. Remove not only the peels from fruits and vegetables, but the outer leaves of leafy greens as well. For meat and poultry products, trim visible fat and skin, as pesticide residues can collect in fat trimmings.

Photo: Take Back Your Health Conference 2015 via Flickr

You Can Buy Organic Food Without Busting Your Budget

You Can Buy Organic Food Without Busting Your Budget

By Cameron Huddleston, Kiplinger Personal Finance

Mention organic food to shoppers and they often respond that it’s too expensive. For the most part, they’re right.

A recent Consumer Reports study found that organic foods cost 47 percent more, on average, than conventional foods. As such, it’s not surprising that Whole Foods, the grocer most associated with organic and natural food offerings, is often referred to as “Whole Paycheck.”

To combat that reputation, the company just announced that it will be launching a chain of less expensive stores aimed at price-conscious Millennial shoppers. But Whole Foods didn’t specify when it was opening the new stores or where they’d be located. So what can you do in the meantime if you want to buy organic for less?

For starters, it’s important to understand that prices on many organic items can be the same as or even lower than the prices on their conventional counterparts.

The Consumer Reports study found this to be true on several organic products, including lettuce, carrots, maple syrup and olive oil. Kiplinger’s independent research found that even Whole Foods has surprisingly low prices on certain organic items including organic milk, chicken broth and peanut butter. In other words, saving money on organic foods doesn’t just come down to what you buy but where you buy it.

Try shopping at these places to keep costs down:

1. Trader Joe’s

This quirky grocery chain, with more than 400 locations across the U.S., is known for its low prices. Many of its organic offerings are bargains compared with similar products at supermarkets and organic grocers. Fruits and vegetables, beef, yogurt and coffee are among its top organic deals.

For example, we found that a 6-ounce package of organic spinach was $2 less at Trader Joe’s than at several supermarkets we checked.

2. Aldi

This low-cost supermarket chain originated in Germany and now operates about 1,400 locations in the U.S. Aldi keeps its prices low because of its no-frills approach — you have to bag your own groceries, for example — and its lineup of exclusive brands. The organic selection isn’t extensive, but the items that are available tend to be priced lower than similar products at supermarkets and Whole Foods.

For example, a 25-ounce jar or organic marinara sauce at Aldi’s is between 50 cents and more than $2 less than similar sauces at other grocers we checked.

3. Walmart

The mega-retailer has used its size and scale to make organic affordable, says Walmart spokesperson Molly Blakeman: “We don’t think people should have to pay more to put organic on the table.” Walmart stocks 1,600 organic grocery items, including a line of packaged goods from the Wild Oats brand, which once was a chain of natural food stores that was bought by Whole Foods.

About 3,800 Walmart stores have at least 30 Wild Oats products and 2,200 stores have more than 70 of the brand’s items, Blakeman says. The prices are on par with similar conventional items and at least 25 percent lower, on average, than national organic brands, she says.

Among products in the line are rice, pasta, crackers, cookies and olive oil. Walmart also offers 50 organic produce items under its Marketside brand; however, we found that Aldi and Trader Joe’s tend to have lower prices on organic fruits and vegetables.

4. Warehouse clubs

You’ll pay $45 or more a year to join a warehouse club such as Costco, BJ’s or Sam’s Club. But you can recoup the annual fee with the savings you’ll get by buying warehouse clubs’ discounted bulk items, especially organic fare.

For example, BJ’s organic chicken breasts are about $1 to $3 less per pound than at the other stores we checked; a 26-ounce jar of organic peanut butter costs about the same as 16-ounce jars at other stores; and organic maple syrup costs about half as much per ounce.

BJ’s carries a total of 150 organic items, and both BJ’s and Sam’s Club offer free one-day passes if you want to check out the organic offerings before committing to a membership.

BJ’s is currently offering a free 60-day trial membership if you sign up by July 5. It’s worth noting that to take full advantage of warehouse clubs’ discount pricing, you need to be able to consume the entire amount of your bulk purchases before those items spoil or expire. See 7 Costly Mistakes Shoppers Make at Warehouse Clubs for more.

5. Farm markets

Because prices can vary greatly from market to market and even vendor to vendor at the same market, it’s hard to claim that this option is one of the best places across the board to buy organic on a budget. Plus, although you might find an abundance of naturally grown or raised produce, you likely won’t find many, or any, items that are actually certified organic, which requires meeting requirements set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Nonetheless, it’s worth doing some comparison shopping of your own at your local farmers market to see how its prices stack up. There’s a good chance you’ll find that it won’t cost you more than shopping at the supermarket, and might cost even less.

(c) 2015, KIPLINGER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.

Photo: Alison J-B via Flickr