Dani Spies

Now I'm not the quickest gal on the planet so it will probably take me few weeks to actually do it, but in the meantime I thought I'd try to answer a question.  So here it goes:

Question 

You often say in your posts that if you can't afford to get everything organic, at least get ***.  I would love a top 15 or 20 list.  We have started buying more organic but getting everything just will not fit in our budget.

-Krista 

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Krista, Great Question! 
But before I get into the details I want to be sure to say to make the point that buying every kitchen item organic is not in most peoples budget, so we just have to start wherever we can.  Remember the more that organics are in demand the lower the prices will be, so if you can start with one item, that’s a great step in the right direction!

Here’s a list of the foods I would try to buy organic whenever possible:

• Meat. Pesticides are often used to grow the grain for non-organic animals therefore both the animal (and eventually you) will be ingesting these pesticides. They are also given antibiotics to resist disease and hormones to speed up the growth process.  When buying Organic meats you can rest assured that there are no pesticides, antibiotics or hormones being used!  Organic meat is fed organic feed, which mean there are no pesticides on the feed.

• Dairy & Eggs.  Much like meat, the animals that are producing your dairy products can be fed feed that is grown with pesticides.  They are also given antibiotics and growth hormones like rGHB or rbST.  Buying organic dairy will guarantee you that non of these external chemicals will be making into your belly.

• Coffee.  Believe it or not many of the beans we but are from countries that do not regulate chemicals or pesticides so this can be a bit of a danger zone.

• Fruits and veggies are where the list gets long.  Basic rule of thumb is this; thin skinned fruits and veggies with no peel or protection like peaches and bell peppers are higher on the list whereas things like oranges and corn are lower.  Check out this link for a more comprehensive list of the fruits and veggies you may want to be buying organic.

• Anything that you eat a lot of and often.  So for instance… I love, love, love strawberries and eat them all the time so I try to go organic.  If I’m buying a few seasonal peaches but aren’t eating them every day, I might skip it and go with the conventional peaches. (remember… we’ve gotta pick and choose our battles!)

Now in the world of fish, there is no such thing as organic fish quiet yet.  You could opt for wild over farmed raised but I usually just switch it up.  Sometimes I go wild, sometimes I go farm raised (what can I say, I like to live on the edge;)).

Other than that one area I would definitely save my money in is any type of organic processed foods.  Just because your cookies or mac and cheese say organic on the package does not mean you’re making a healthy choice.

Dani d.’s Bottom Line on Buying Organic:
Save your organic dollars for fresh, whole foods like produce, meats and dairy.  If you are gonna pick and choose what you buy organic, start by choosing items that are regular staples in your kitchen first. 

In the world of diet and nutrition we are constantly being bombarded with ever changing news and studies so all we can do is make the best choices we can most of time!  I promise, if you love your family and friends, enjoy your life, laugh a lot and remain grateful for everything that you have you will have a very rich and healthy life (even if you can’t make every item in your kitchen organic☺).

You may also want to read: 
Top 10 Reasons To Go Organic