Nutrition is the Key to Health Podcast

Organic vs conventional produce has always been a very hot topic talking out foods to consume and which are healthier. There is a great deal of speculation on whether organic is worth the extra money. Easy answer, I will say, “Yes”. However, it’s not that easy.

What is Organic

Organic farming, is a strict farming practice that certifies certain standards were maintained when growing and harvesting the produce. That means that certain pesticides and fertilizers are not allowed in the growing or harvesting process of these fruits and vegetables.

You will be able to differentiate organic produce in your groceries isles because the PLU (price lookup code) will follow these standards:

  • 4011 – Conventional Banana
  • 94011 – Organic Banana
  • 84011 – Genetically Engineered or modified Banana

So, the number you want to focus on is the first number of 4, 9 and 8 at the beginning of the code. This denotes the type of produce it is.

What is the Dirty Dozen

Each year, EWG.org, puts out the top conventional produce that are ladened with pesticides. EWG.org is a non-profit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to protecting human health and the environment.

You can find the list for 2023 at the below link:

https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty-dozen.php

According to EWG, these are the top produce for 2023, that contain the most pesticides, when referring to conventional farming:

  1. Strawberries
  2. Spinach
  3. Kale, Collar and Mustard Greens
  4. Peaches
  5. Pears
  6. Nectarines
  7. Apples
  8. Grapes
  9. Bell & Hot Peppers
  10. Cherries
  11. Blueberries
  12. Green Beans

This year, strawberries take the top seat, and this is not a good thing. That means that when eating these twelve foods, your pesticide load that you are ingesting is the highest if you are picking conventional in any one of the above foods. We all know that the amount of pesticide load we ingest, has a direct correlation with cancer.

Clean Fifteen

Just like the dirty dozen list, EWG.org also puts out the popular Clean Fifteen. These are the conventional produces that contain the least amount of pesticides and are as follows:

  1. Avocados
  2. Sweet corn
  3. Pineapple
  4. Onions
  5. Papaya
  6. Sweet Peas (frozen)
  7. Asparargus
  8. Honeydew
  9. Kiwi
  10. Cabbage
  11. Mushrooms
  12. Mangoes
  13. Sweet Potatoes
  14. Watermelon
  15. Carrots

You can find the link here:

https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/clean-fifteen.php

What does this all mean?

I will say this. If you can afford to purchase organic, please do. However, if you are on a food budget, then the best tactic you can use, is to purchase items on the dirty dozen list, as organic. Then, all others you can go conventional to save money.

It should be noted this list changes yearly, so please go to EWG.org and refresh your list. For instance, the last few years, blueberries and apples took the top spots on the dirty dozen.

A few noteworthy mentions here. There are a few things that you will always want to purchase organic and they are as follows:

  • Almonds (conventional are treated with eronmous amounts of pesticides around the trees. So when they are harvested, they will get cross-contaminated with pesticides all over them.
  • Brown Rice (Organic) has a great deal of arsenic in it, so you will want to eat this sparingly, and when boiling, do so in large amounts of water and always rinse throughly afterwards before serving. This will lessen the load.
  • Quinoa is much like brown rice. It needs to be soaked prior to cooking. Overnight if you can, and rinse throughly. In 2023, it is said that the United States will have decreased production of this pseudo grain, due to increased fly issues. We will likely be sourcing from other countries.
  • Green Tea has a high pesticide yield, so you will want to purchase only organic. Look for the store brand in organic and it is usually very affordable.

Any of your berries, nuts and grains, the farmers tend to use vast amounts of pesticides to keep the bugs and the birds from ruining the crops. So, keep that in mind when shopping. Always rinse everything! Even that spinach that claims to be “triple washed”.

When trying to gain a healthier lifestyle, all of this helps. I hope you can go with confidence to the store and choose your produce wisely. I keep a screenshot of the dirty dozen on my phone, and refer to it as I am shopping. It helps.

Alicia