Shopping Guide: Buying Organic Food
As a parent, the importance of choosing organic food looms large. As Heather Henniger, a Certified Nutrition Therapy Practioner in Colorado Springs, CO points out, minimizing exposure to toxins as much as possible is critical – especially to little bodies.
Choosing foods raised without herbicides and pesticides is a way to lighten this load. But, organic food is pricier than conventional. Use the following guide when deciding what organic foods to put in your cart.
Produce: Henniger recommends choosing organic when it comes to fruits and veggies with thin skins. Items such as peaches, grapes and tomatoes are more likely to allow pesticides to penetrate as compared to peelable items, such as bananas, avocados and citrus. Leafy greens are also a must when it comes to choosing organic.
Following the Environmental Working Groups recommendations about the dirty dozen and clean 15 is the most prudent way to navigate the produce section. According to the EWG’s 2016 recommendations, strawberries, apples, nectarines, peaches, celery, grapes, cherries, spinach, tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, cherry tomatoes and cucumbers should be organic as they carry the most chemical load. But, you can get a little more lax on choosing organic when it comes to avocados, sweet corn, pineapples, cabbage, frozen sweet peas, onions, asparagus, mangoes, papayas, kiwis, eggplant, honeydew melon, grapefruit, cantaloupe and cauliflower.
Pantry Items: Dry goods include canned vegetables and fruits, boxed soups, flour and sugar, cereal, chips, baked goods…the list goes on. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) labels these foods according to the percentage of organic ingredients included. When a food is labeled as “100 percent organic,” all of its ingredients are organic. An “organic” product has at least 95 percent organic ingredients. “Made With Organic Ingredients” indicates that a food has at least 70 percent organic ingredients and no GMOs. Any product with fewer than 70 percent ingredients can’t have an organic label or seal on the front of the package, but can list the specific organic ingredients in the ingredient panel.
Meats and Fish: Organic meat and poultry have been raised on certified organic land, fed organic feed and not treated with any antibiotics or growth hormones. The animals must also have outdoor access. Fish cannot be labeled as organic as it’s just not possible to meet these standards, but they may be “wild caught” versus being “farmed.” It’s worth serving your family organic meat and poultry when possible, as you’re reducing their exposure to endocrine-disrupting hormones and unnecessary antibiotics.
Dairy: Milk, yogurt and cheese labeled as organic must come from animals who’ve had year-round access to the outdoors, the right to graze on grass unaffected by herbicides and pesticides and no antibiotic or hormone treatment. Like organic meat and poultry, choosing organic dairy notably reduces your exposure to toxins, including growth hormones and antibiotics.
The Bottom Line: A strict organic lifestyle is almost impossible to maintain, so do the best you can. If your budget is tight, choose organic when purchasing the dirty dozen and dairy. Poultry and meat might be next on your list. But, be realistic – if you’re at a friend’s house, “don’t panic if the grapes aren’t organic,” says Henniger. “Just make sure the items are thoroughly washed.” All you can do is your best, you don’t have to be perfect.
Andrea Cespedes is a professionally trained chef and a Certified Nutrition Therapy Practitioner. With more than 20 years of experience in the fitness industry, she coaches cycling and running as well as teaches. She is an American Council on Exercise-certified personal trainer, ERYT-200 and has degrees from Princeton and Columbia University. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
