6 Shocking Foods You Have to Eat Organic

It amazes me the list of excuses people will come up with against buying organic. It’s too expensive is always my favorite. These same people have no problem paying $5 every day for a fancy drink from a certain coffee conglomerate. Go figure.

The Environmental Working Group publishes a list of what they call “the dirty dozen” which include the top fruit and vegetables which are particularly susceptible to the harmful effects of pesticides and GMO’s.

Here is a list of 6 surprising foods you may not have thought to buy organic and don’t always make the list:

1. Apples

An apple a day may only keep the doctor away if it’s organic. Year after year these popular snack options rank near the top of the dirty dozen list. More than 45 different pesticides have been found on the common apple as the trees in orchards are particularly susceptible to fungus. Farmers are often pressured by markets to over produce and will sacrifice the health of their customers to gain a profit.

2. Celery

This crisp veggie is comprised of nearly 90% water and as a result can be packed with a dangerously high amount of pesticides. Not to mention we generally consume this crunchy treat raw, we are even more at risk if it’s not organic of inflicting lasting damage to our bodies without the added safety measure of cooking in high heat.

3. Potatoes

Root vegetables are particularly dangerous to our health because of their surrounding growing environment. The earth farmers use is not always regulated and as a result could be contaminated with residual pesticides from neighbouring farms. When at all possible, choose organic for all your root vegetables, including garlic and onions.

4. Fatty Meats

It’s important to keep in mind that the meat we eat is often marbled with fat that loves to soak up pesticides. Apart from avoiding growth hormones used by mass meat producers, organic meat is healthier on account of the pesticide free feed that is used. Just like humans, the fat in animals is a great carrier for toxic waste.

5. Coffee

Apart from the dangers of too much caffeine, non organic coffee is surprisingly harmful to your health. Most coffee is grown outside of the United States, in countries where the regulations for food production may not be so stringent. Not only should you seek out the USDA Organic label on your bag of beans, but it is important to buy fair trade, in support of fair payment for plantation workers.

6. Wine

The same can be said about wine. A lot of wine is imported from countries where policies on organic may not necessarily align with healthy protocol. Also grapes are particularly vulnerable to insects and fungus if grown quickly and in mass amounts, so many vineyards resort to using pesticides. Worth paying attention to as well is the difference between “organic wine” and “made with organic grapes”. The later could be packed with harmful sulphites in an effort to preserve the wine.

I realize it isn’t always just an issue over cost, but sometimes organic produce is not nearly as readily available as it should be. Depending on your geography, hunting for organic food can be a full time job. Luckily the internet is a great resource and there are a number of organic food companies that will deliver straight to your door!