Do You Buy Organic or Not Organic?

Since using my fancy new juicer while reading Crazy Sexy Diet, I have learned a few things about juicing that I wanted to share with you!

One of my main concerns from using so much fruits and veggies in the raw to make my juices is should I buy – Organic or Not Organic? In an ideal world I would have all my fruits and veggies organically grown because that would mean they would have less pesticides. But its not always easy to find a good variety of organic produce and it is not always financially possible either.

When reading Crazy Sexy Diet, followed by a little research on the Environmental Working Group (EWG) I discovered a fun little cheat sheet to educate us on produce grown in the least and most amount of pesticides.

The Dirty Dozen

This represents foods grown with the most pesticides in them, from worst to less bad. Try to go organic as much as possible for these items!

1. Peach
2. Apple
3. Bell Pepper
4. Celery
5. Nectarine
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Kale
9. Lettuce
10. Grapes (imported)
11. Carrot
12. Pear

 

The Clean Fifteen

This list represents foods grown with the least amount of pesticides from best to not-so-good.

1. Onion
2. Avocado
3. Sweet Corn
4. Pineapple
5. Mango
6. Asparagus
7. Sweet Peas
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Papaya
12. Watermelon
13. Broccoli
14. Tomato
15. Sweet Potato

What do you think about this list? Do you pay attention to what foods you buy organically grown?

After reading this list list I am paying a lot more attention to the produce I juice. I wash my fruits and vegetables before I eat them every day but now I am much more likely to peel the produce in the Dirty Dozen that is not organic before consumption.

For me, buying organic comes down to cost. I see that the organic celery is usually 10-20 cents higher than regular celery. That is certainly do-able, but there are other items that can go up in price much more for organic.

What are your thoughts on the Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen?

For more information about this list, check out the EWG’s website

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In other news – HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my Matron of Honor – Michele! We have been best friends since Kindergarten (which is crazy to think of how long ago that was!), through high school and college!

You might recognize her, because she has been on the blog a bunch of times, and because I was just her Maid of Honor in her wedding this past June, and she will be my Matron (since she is an old married lady now) of honor in my wedding this May!

Do you have a best friend you have been friends with since childhood?