by Neissa Springmann

There’s no doubt that ‘organic’ is a buzz word for 2013, and in a perfect world everyone would love to afford an organic-only diet. However, with the cost of food on the rise and the reality that a large majority of the population is on a budget, eating entirely organic is virtually impossible! Let’s face it, a recent college graduate or mother shopping for a family of four is most likely to purchase four non-organic apples for $1, rather than four organic apples for $4.00. With that said, there are particular foods that are very important to eat organic, and rather than give up on eating organic all together, we thought it would be helpful to provide you with why it is important to eat organic, what produce is important to eat organic and a few cost saving tips too.

When produce shopping, a good rule of ‘organic thumb’ is: if the fruit or veggie has an edible skin, buy organic. The reason is that organic farming excludes and strictly limits the use of manufactured (synthetic) fertilizers, pesticides (which include herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides), plant growth regulators (such as hormones), livestock antibiotics, food additives, genetically modified organisms, human sewage and nano-materials. Therefore, if your produce has a thick and non-edible skin, your fruit or veggie is more protected from the potentially harmful chemicals — unlike the produce with edible skin that has no protection. And, because we are what we eat, when eating non-organic produce we must assume that our body is also ingesting those same synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, hormones, etc.

Try to Buy These Organic: 

• Apples, Grapes, Strawberries, Berries, Peaches, Apricots, Pears, Cherries, Carrots, Celery, Broccoli, Lettuce, Spinach, Kale, Greens, Peppers, Tomatoes, Cauliflower, Cabbage Squash, Green Beans, Cucumber, Potatoes

Not as Important to Buy Organic: 

• Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Mango, Oranges, Bananas, Kiwi, Honeydew, Acorn & Butternut Squash, Pumpkin, Avocado, Onion, Corn, Peas

Save some $$!

Finally, there’s nothing worse than spending money on organic produce, to then find it molded and have gone bad in the refrigerator only a few days after purchasing it! On one hand, this is a good sign, as the natural aging process (without chemicals, etc.) is in play. But dang! That’s money down the drain! Therefore, when applicable buy your organic produce frozen (especially if you make smoothies, which is a great way to cool off in the summer and get your fruit and veggie servings for the day) or freeze it upon purchase. This does not diminish the vitamin or mineral content of the fruit or veggie and will save big money!

Furthermore, Costco Wholesale also has incredible deals on frozen organic blueberries and other seasonal produce. Also, subscribe to the Whole Foods mailing list. Very often they have cost-saving sales, like a pint of organic blueberries for $1.99! Finally, if you live in Texas, HEB has an excellent and affordable organic section.

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