When To Buy Organic
November 26th, 2007
Filed in Fruits, Veggies and Herbs
Tags: apples, fruit, pesticides, potatoes, produce, strawberries, synthetic
The next time you are in the Organic produce aisle, you might find that you are a bit confused as to what produce you should buy. There are so many choices available that it can be mind boggling.
To reduce your potential exposure to pesticides on produce, it is a possible idea to look at organic labels on certain fruits and vegetables. It was not all that long ago that the term’ organic’ applied to anything food producers wanted it to. Only when the Department of Agriculture decided to regulate the meaning of the term, did things begin to change.
Produce can be called organic when it is grown without synthetic pesticides and fertilizers and without bioengineering.
One basic rule: If you eat the skin or leaves of a fruit or vegetable, it is usually better to buy organic. When you buy organic, you will know you are reducing your potential exposure to synthetic pesticides. For some produce, it has been found that even with careful washing it is still hard to remove all traces of pesticides.
Non organic strawberries, can be washed many times and still show traces of synthetic pesticides.
Organic: 100% -This means that only organically produced ingredients were used in the food.
Made with organic ingredients: Other foods with at least 70% organic ingredients can use this phrase, but the USDA organic seal cannot be used on the package.
Organic: This means that at least 95% of the product was organically produced and for fruit and vegetables the word may appear on a small sticker.
Here is a list of fruit and vegetables that are worth buying organic, as they have the highest concentrations of pesticides when grown conventionally:
- Peaches
- Apples
- Celery
- Nectarines
- Strawberries
- Cherries
- Pears
- Imported Grapes
- Spinach
- Lettuce
- Potatoes
- Sweet peppers
I have tasted some organic produce and I do not think that the taste was any better than other produce, but at least I knew that I was not putting some strange chemical into my body, that I did not want. I also think that the cost of the organic produce and fruit, is a deterrent to many people to give it a try.
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