Personal Dividends - Money and Lifestyle

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There is a bit of a debate going on right now about whether or not organic produce is better for your health than produce grown with pesticides and possibly contaminated. While there are studies cited that support both sides of the debate in terms of nutritional value, the fact of the matter is that your health is likely to benefit from eating more fruits and vegetables. Period. (Bonus points for growing your own produce in a garden.) If you are concerned about contamination, however, consider guidelines offered by the non-partisan, non-profit Environmental Working Group. This group evaluated FDA and USDA pesticide tests and came up with recommendations for buying organic produce.

Commonly contaminated produce

The Environmental Working Group recommends that you watch out for produce that has high levels of contamination by pesticides. If you are concerned about the harmful effects of pesticides on your body (or your children’s), consider spending a little extra time and money to procure organically grown versions of these fruits and vegetables:

• Apples
• Carrots
• Celery
• Cherries
• Grapes (imported)
• Kale
• Lettuce
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Pears
• Sweet bell peppers
• Strawberries

These are types of produce that either has thin skin, or has skin that might be eaten. With pesticides more easily absorbed into the above fruits and vegetables, and the chances that even washing might not get rid of the contamination, it is possible that you are more vulnerable to these types of produce.

Try to get organic produce if possible

The next classification by the Environmental Working Group addresses economic realities. While the first category brings the specter of common contamination, the produce in this group is not quite so high-risk. Natural protections some of these fruits and vegetables have against pests (requiring less need for pesticides), as well as the fact the skins are often thicker, means that there is a little less possible contamination. However, if you can afford it, the Group recommends that you get these fruits and vegetables from organic sources:

• Bananas
• Cantaloupe
• Cauliflower
• Collard greens
• Cranberries
• Cucumbers
• Grapefruit
• Grapes (domestic)
• Green beans
• Honeydew
• Mushrooms
• Oranges
• Peppers
• Plums
• Raspberries
• Summer squash
• Tangerines
• Winter squash

Least contaminated vegetables and fruits

For various reasons, there are some types of produce that have a low incidence of contamination by pesticides. If you want to get these organically, great. If you are concerned about your budget, or not convinced that organic is the way to go, you are least likely to run into pesticides if you choose the following kinds of produce:

• Asparagus
• Avocado
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Eggplant
• Kiwi
• Mango
• Onions
• Papaya
• Pineapple
• Sweet corn
• Sweet peas
• Sweet potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Watermelon

Other benefits of organic produce

Beyond helping you avoid ingesting potentially harmful pesticides, there are some other benefits to organic produce. Advocates point out that even if you are skeptical of the pesticide argument (which holds the most water with many people), there are other reasons to consider a preference for organic produce.

First of all, there are arguments that organic produce has more nutrients due to maturing on the plant. While some studies dispute the idea that organic gardening results in more nutrient-rich produce, there are those that insist that organically grown fruits and vegetables must naturally have more nutritional value. This is because the nutritional peak is considered to be right at ripeness. Many of today’s large operations harvest early, before ripeness develops, meaning that the full nutritional potential is not reached.

Secondly, there is the idea that organic methods allow for more energy to be expended in the development nutrients. Using fertilizer, the argument goes, stimulates faster growth than is natural, and that means that more of the plant’s energy goes to growth, rather than to actual nutrients.

Finally, many advocates of organic produce point out that it is helpful to local farmers and businesses and less damaging to the environment. Local producers can receive compensation for their goods, and support their families. Additionally, if you buy local you won’t be contributing to demand from far off and contributing to the need for polluting trucks to transport the produce.

In the end, it depends on whether you believe these claims about organic food. Most people are likely to consider buying organic produce in some cases, and mixing their non-organic purchases with their organic produce. It’s all about a matter of personal preference. However, it is nice to have a little more information to help you make your decision.

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