Eating organic can be difficult, but it can be done. If you choose to shop at a store that has a lot of organic options, you will save time but you probably won't save much money. You can also shop at your local grocery store and get what you can in their organic section, but again it's expensive. I try to buy the majority of my organic groceries at Costco. Costco tends to have a large selection of organic, produce, dairy and meat. They are also very reasonable when you break down the cost. What I cannot find at Costco, I buy from Trader Joes. Trader Joes is priced pretty well but only has a few locations, none of which are close by to me. So when I have to go to the local grocery store, I always bring my "Dirty Dozen" list.
This list is made by the Environmental Working Group. The group analyzes Department of Agriculture data about pesticide residue and ranks foods based on how much or little pesticide residue they have. The group has estimated that individuals can reduce their exposure by 80% if they switch to organic when buying these 12 foods.
- Apple
- Celery
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Grapes
- Hot Peppers
- Nectarines
- Peaches
- Potatoes
- Strawberries
- Spinach
- Sweet Peppers
Kale, collard greens, zucchini, lettuces & blueberries also have over 30 pesticides on the non-organic form, hungry yet?
Buy the "Clean 15". If the cost of organic is not in your budget, these are typically low in pesticide residue:
- Papaya
- Eggplant
- Cantaloupe
- Kiwi
- Cabbage
- Watermelon
- Sweet Potatoes
- Grapefruit
- Mushrooms
- Onions
- Sweet Corn
- Pineapple
- Avocado
- Asparagus
- Frozen Sweet Peas
- Mango
