When it comes to all foods, organic is best. Pesticides, herbicides, food additives, antibiotics, and growth hormones are not present in organic foods.
Organic fruits and vegetables are grown in mineral rich soils.
When we eat non-organic foods, we are exposed to foreign substances that our bodies must use energy to process. This takes energy from elsewhere in our bodies.
Choosing organic food whenever possible is best. At the very least, avoid the dirty dozen. These fruits and vegetables have the highest concentration of pesticides. You can reduce your families pesticide exposure by as much as 80% by avoiding these foods.
However, the truth is that eating completely organic can be more expensive than a non-organic menu. This is what leads many people to avoid buying organic and opt for non-organic foods. Unfortunately, these are often not as good for our health, or the environment.
The Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) 2016 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce is a great resource for guidelines on which produce is the most important to buy organic. Download the guide HERE and keep it on you tablet or smartphone so that you can have it with you when you go shopping.
The Clean 15 has the lowest exposure to pesticides. Whereas, The Dirty Dozen highlights the foods that will yield the most pesticide residues.
You might notice that the fruits and vegetables that do not have a thick skin tend to be part of The Dirty Dozen list. Thick skinned produce tends to absorb less pesticide.
A word of caution, if you are buying non-organic and you enjoy Spa Water then it is especially important to buy organic ingredients. This is due to the fact that the ingredients are sitting in your water all day which allows the chemicals to leach into your “healthy drink.”
There are also some tips to keep in mind when buying animal products. However, there will be no morality lectures on whether or not people should eat these.
What I will share with you is that we, as a society, tend to eat too much protein and much of this comes from animal protein. As well, many health problems can be traced back to milk allergies and sensitivities.
I suggest that you do your best to eat organic meats.
The United States Department of Agriculture states that to reach organic standards, meat must be free from antibiotics, growth hormones, bio-engineering, and ionizing radiation.
According to Princeton University, organic, grass-fed beef tends to have less total fat and higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids than conventional beef, making it a better choice for heart health over conventional beef fed a grain-based diet.
In addition, organic farming bans the use of purported cancer-promoting growth hormones and antibiotics in animals, leading to fewer health risks in humans and minimizing the evolution of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.
If you cannot do organic than another option would be meat that is hormone and antibiotic free.
Do your best to eat well and to avoid pesticides but most of all enjoy your food!
21 thoughts on “The Truth About Organic Meats, Vegetables and Fruits”
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Hi Elise,
I like the Shopper guide ,it is good to know about what is the most contaminated.
I think the best is to grow your own or buy locally from a trusted farmer rather
then in a store.
Thank you
Erika
I do agree that buying from a trusted local farmer or growing your own is the best option but since we cannot all do that I think it is so important to keep lists like this in mind.
Hi Dr. Elise,
Having grown up on a small farm where we raised most of our food, I do know the difference in taste between organic and non-organic food. The higher price is worth it – if you can find a source.
Thanks for the link to The Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) 2016 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce. It’ll come in handy.
Edward
I would imagine now. There was no need for organic with all of that homegrown goodness.
I am glad that you will find the link handy.
Best way is homegrown with non gmo seeds. The produce is awesome. I like the local Co ops who share and sell produce thst is healthy. In our neck of the woods we can grow year round, but we also grow healthy weeds every season, at least 4 or more varieties. I recently checked on one weed….lol seems the flower is edible and the bees love it. So, I knnda tolerate this invasive mini daisy. Yet the bee keeper behind us says the bees are still dying. Keep moving forward and heal mother nature.
Homegrown is absolutely the best. You are definitely right about that.
I love this little glimpse into your life and I too love the weds from the garden as many of the best medicinal plants are actually weeds 🙂
Hi Elise,
I do as much organic food as I can possibly forage. But sometimes it is difficult to find everything. So this Dirty Dozen list is so helpful. You mentioned that lemon in the water…I always wondered about that! Now I am more aware and I thank you.
-Donna
You are so very welcome. I am thrilled that the information is of help.
Oddly enough Elsie, I get stomach aches from beef, but not from grassfed beef.
I wonder if you are getting stomach aches from the corn and other feed.
I try growing my own vegies and fruits as then I know it is organic. We do not use pesticides or herbicides and that can be a battle, but worth it.
Thanks for sharing this as so many people are clueless as to the toxins they eat and drink. Just another way to unchain legions of free radicals. Again thanks for sharing your wisdom
You are so very welcome. That is simply wonderful that you are able to do so much yourself.
Also, steer clear of making use of any bleach-based soaps or detergents on plants
because this can be harmful to them.
Great points. Thank you.
I love the extra flavour of organic foods. I buy as much organic as I can, in particular from local farmer’s markets and from on site producers.
Enjoy the journey!
I agree that it is often more flavorful and I, certainly, do appreciate not tasting pesticides.
Hi Elise. I agree with the idea of eating organic when you can, but it isn’t a guarantee that you have the healthiest food. Organic fruits and vegetables are supposed to be free of non-organic pesticides and fertilizers but that doesn’t mean that the farmer uses the sustainable farming practices that keep the soil they use rich in minerals.
Likewise for meat. I agree with you too that a lot of people eat way too much meat, and suffer the consequences later in life. Again organic meat is supposed to be free from all of the chemicals but it doesn’t mean that it is fed a proper diet or lived a proper free-range life. I’m not sure if the organic standards address the butchering process or not either, which can definitely affect the health of the meat.
In my opinion, the organic label is a good start but it definitely isn’t the end of what needs to be done to guarantee our food supply.
You are certainly correct that organic does not guarantee compliance with sustainable farming nor does it take into account fair treatment of animals, humane farming practices or any such items.
Eating organic foods helps with just one facet of living a healthy lifestyle. It is a step in the right direction but, decidedly, not the entire journey. We have many more steps to take.
Hi Dr. Elise,
Thank you for sharing EWG’s Clean 15 list. We are selective about the organic food we buy from grocery stores.
The Clean 15 list is very useful and I learned a lot reading this post.
–Michael
You are so very welcome. I am so pleased that you are finding the information useful.