Buying Organic On A Budget

With the state of the economy many of us are having to cut back on household expenses. Sometimes the quality of the food we bring in for our families can be affected by that. Buying organic can get expensive, but it is very important when it comes to many items on our menus.

Why is organic healthier?

Studies suggest organic produce has more nutrients than it's conventional counterparts. Why? The soil used for organic produce is typically better. It is taken care of and not used for constant repeated planting. Organic produce does not contain pesticides so there is no residue left on the fruit or vegetable after washing it. Non-organic fruits and vegetables are grown with potentially toxic chemicals including pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers.

Even low levels of pesticide consumed over time can be problematic. A study in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, for instance, found that people who had been exposed to low levels of pesticides were 1.13 times as likely to have Parkinson's disease as those who had never been exposed. Other studies have also linked pesticides to health problems including:

Cancer
Fertility Problems
Brain Tumors
Childhood Leukemia
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Birth defects
Irritation to skin and eyes
Hormone or endocrine system problems
Nervous system damage

With that in mind there are some decisions that can be made as to what you need to buy organic and what you can get away with not buying organic.

When it comes to meat and dairy organic is just as important as produce. When any animal is raised either for slaughter or for milk, eggs etc there are factors that come into play with how that animal is raised and how it is taken care of. In the latest USDA meat inspector report it was found that the government is failing to even test 4 of the most harmful chemicals the law requires when inspecting meat. Contaminants can be found in meat and dairy from a variety of sources. One that I never even thought of is how the animals are fed.

While shopping for eggs I used to think it was really silly that someone would buy free range eggs. I thought this meant the chicken was so much happier because they were not kept in a cage so you pay more for the eggs..the real truth in all of this is what they are fed!

The way most animals are raised to be used for our food there are MANY things you have to worry about. First, the grain they are fed is laced w/pesticides which the animal eats. You can exactly wash those off. Second, many animals are injected hormones and/or antibiotics to speed up growth and ensure the animal is at the largest size possible. This would increase revenue for the farmer however, it's not exactly the healthiest way to raise animals that humans ingest.

Here are some important things to remember when purchasing meat.

• Beef fat contains 10 different pesticide that can be identified (those are just the ones we can identify)
  
• Pork meat can be contaminated but pork fat is more likely to be contaminated w/as many as 8 pesticides
• In chicken the thigh is the most contaminated.

When shopping for meat it's important to look for certified organic..meaning it meats the USDA standards for feed and given no hormones or antibiotics. Searching out grass fed ensures the animal was fed a natural diet. An alternative is looking for a local farmer so you can find out directly how the animals are raised.

Hormones and pesticides are just as likely to be found in milk also. Milk Pesticides and other man made chemicals are found in breast milk so it's no surprise that chemicals are found in our milk. 12 different pesticides have been identified in milk and milk is a staple of our diet especially for children. Looking for organic milk can be very important. Organic dairies can not feed their cows with grains grown with pesticides nor can they give antibiotics and/or growth hormones.

Now reading all of this can be kind of scary. The price of organic is a huge factor in many consumers decisions. I thought I would do a little research on what you really SHOULD buy organic and what is not as important to balance the budget a little for everyone. I did find that meat and dairy are two of the most important to buy organic. Those are two of the most expensive items on most people's grocery list. An alternative would be to have maybe one meal a week without meat. Get a little creative with the menu.

Here is some information to take based on the latest study by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non profit research organization.

Here are some of the vegetables or fruits that you SHOULD buy organic:

• Peaches - Peaches are one of the most contaminated fruits. 62 pesticides were detected in the residue after washing
  
• Apples - 42 pesticides found in residue
  
• Blueberries - 52 pesticides
• Bell Peppers - 49 pesticides
  
• Celery- Celery has no protective skin so it makes it next to impossible to get all contaminants off.
• Strawberries - 59 pesticides were detected in residue.
• Spinach - 48 different pesticides
  
• Kale
  
• Cherries 42 different pesticides
• Potatoes 37 different pesticides
  
• Grapes (only imported) if you buy domestic you are ok.

These were LEAST likely to have pesticides detected on the parts you eat...this is AFTER washing..so if you are on a budget and can not buy everything organic trying not using so many of the upper fruits and vegetables and use more of these:

• Onion
• Sweet Corn (frozen)
  
• Avocado
  
• Pineapple
• Mango
• Asparagus
• Sweet Peas (frozen)
  
• Kiwi
• Cabbage
• Eggplant
• Papaya
  
• Watermelon
• Broccoli
  
• Tomatoes
  
• Sweet Potatoes