Which Foods You Should Buy Organic

Aside from the fact that organic food contains higher levels of vital nutrients, organic foods are also lower in other residues and compounds that are seriously detrimental to your health, such as herbicide and pesticide residues, so buying or growing as much organic food as possible is not only best for your health, but for the health of the entire planet.

With food prices rising, many of us are looking for ways to buy the healthiest foods possible at the lowest cost. One way would be to focus on purchasing certain organic items, while "settling" for others that are conventionally-grown.

The highest concentration of pesticides is in non-organic butter. If you can only buy one organic food item it should be butter. The next priority would be meats and once those are addressed; you will want to focus on the fruit and vegetable list below.

The Dirty Dozen - These 12 fruits and vegetables have the highest pesticide load, making them the most important to buy or grow organic (listed in order from highest pesticide load)
Peaches, Apples, Sweet bell peppers, Celery, Nectarines, Strawberries, Cherries
Lettuce, Grapes, Pears, Spinach, and Potatoes
Locally-grown organics are your absolute best bet, but many times buying locally-grown food is your best choice even if it's grown conventionally, since the environmental impact of shipping organic produce across the globe can cancel out many of its benefits.

Watch Out For Genetically Engineered Varieties by checking PLU codes:
A conventionally grown product carries a 4-digit PLU code (Ex: conventionally grown banana: 4011)
An organic product carries a 5-digit code, starting with the number 9: (Ex: organic banana: 94011)
A genetically engineered (GE or GMO) product has a 5-digit code, starting with the number 8: (Ex: GE banana: 84011)
Avocados, bananas, pineapples and kiwis are LOW in pesticide residue, and good candidates to purchase conventionally-grown, just double-check to make sure you're not buying a GMO variety.
Saving Money While Buying Organic
organicgrocerydeals.com has a coupon database to find organic coupons that are out in the stores and the Sunday paper, as well as online printable coupons.
www.mambosprouts.com has printable organic food coupons for healthy, natural and organic foods and products. Sign up for their mailer and have organic coupons delivered to your door!