On A Budget? What To Buy Organic And What You Can Skip.

If you know me, you know I am ALL about eating organic when possible. I love the feeling of knowing my food is non-GMO and free of pesticides and artificial ingredients. AND my body loves it too! While most people may choose to go organic for different reasons including general health, avoiding hormones and antibiotics, animals, and environmental reasons… it can be COSTLY. 

Not everyone can afford to eat organic or buy every single food item organic. That’s ok. While I feel that eating mostly organic foods is the best option for your health, I know that it can add up and sometimes you just have to choose the non-organic version to save a little extra cash. So which foods can you expect to contain the least amount of pesticides when buying non-organic?

Items safest to buy non-organic:

• Avocados
  
• Bananas
• Pineapples
• Sweet Potatoes
• Cabbage
• Onions
• Mangos
• Kiwi
• Asparagus
• Eggplant
• Grapefruit
• Papayas
• Sweet Peas
• Cantaloupe
• Watermelon

Foods where we aren’t eating the skin or the outside layer will typically have less exposure to pesticides and are safest to buy without being organic.

Items you should ALWAYS try to buy organic:

• Apples (ranked highest on the list of pesticides)
  
• Dairy
• Blueberries
• Strawberries
• Celery
• Tomatoes
• Corn
• Cucumbers
• Grapes
• Peppers
• Leafy greens (spinach, kale, lettuce, collard greens)
• Nectarines, Peaches
• Meat (especially beef)
• Potatoes
• Soy

A few tips to avoid pesticides even further:

• WASH all of your produce! Even when buying organic, rinse them in the sink or scrub the skin down before eating.
• COOK non-organic (and even organic) foods to decrease the pesticide levels.
• SHOP at a Farmer’s Market because sometimes local farmers can’t afford the organic label but may use organic farming. Ask first!

Again, I always try to buy organic first when possible but using this list when on a budget will help. Print it out and bring it with you on your next trip to the grocery store!