Progressive Wednesday

…and nothing but the organic truth.

During the past five months, we’ve covered organic cookies, organic coffee, organic pizza, organic gardening, organic pants, the rise of collegiate degrees in organic farming, the vast and increasing benefits of choosing organic food, the ways organic farming might help fight hunger in the third world, and the fact that processed organic food contains less corn ingredients. We’ve even delved into a bit of organic humor. Most recently, we wrote about organic wine.

So, when I came across this new information about organic foodstuffs, I knew that I had to pass the info along to you, dear readers. First, here’s refresher–a definition of organic food:

For plants, organic means grown on certified organic land without synthetic fertilizers or chemicals (like pesticides). Genetic modification and irradiation are also off-limits. For animals, organic means access to the outdoors, only organic feed for at least a year, and no antibiotics or growth hormones.

So, if you’re concerned about food grown with vast amounts of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, genetic modification, antibiotics and hormones, which organic foods should you really focus on purchasing?

Apples, cherries, grapes (especially if they’re imported), nectarines, peaches, pears, raspberries, strawberries, bell peppers, celery, potatoes, and spinach. Why? Because these fruits and veggies have been found to contain the most pesticide residue, even after being washed. If you want to go the extra mile, also buy your beef, poultry, and dairy organic. Organic meats and dairy are much more expensive than nonorganic, but they’ll also reduce your exposure to toxins.

And which items do you need to fret over a little less?

You don’t need to worry about buying these organic: bananas, kiwi, mangoes, papaya, pineapple, asparagus, avocado, broccoli, cauliflower, corn, onion, sweet peas, and seafood. Why? Because these fruits and veggies tend not to carry pesticide residue, and seafood has no USDA organic certification standards (so “organic seafood” doesn’t mean much).

So, since we all have limited budgets, consider tweaking your organic purchases to save a bit of money, so you can spend the rest where it matters most.

Photo by this hungry and healthy picture-clicker.