This article is for those who are trying to save some money while still
trying to eat healthier. If you are one of the people who have no problem
shelling out any amount of cash for being healthy, you should always opt for
the organic choice.
Should I buy organic foods? With rising food prices, it is a question
that is asked all the time. Well the question is very vague and the proper
answer, that no one wants to hear, is "yes and no". Yes, eating
organic foods are a healthier choice as they allow you to avoid some of the
chemicals and pesticides. Not to mention that organic foods help keep the
environment clean and taste much better.
But whether or not you should buy organic foods depends on what kind of
product it is. Fruits and vegetables provide a better value for the
higher prices as they contain many pesticides by modern farming.
Conventional (non-organic) fruits and vegetables are also allowed to be genetically
modified which has been found by some tests to have serious side effects to the
human body.
But even when buying fruits and vegetables, it is important to distinguish
which fruits and vegetables should definitely be bought organic. Produce with
thicker skins such as bananas and lemons, are not worth buying organic as the
pesticides cannot leach in to the edible part of the fruit due to the tough
barrier of the skin. However produce such as apples and pears have a extremely
skinny skin which allow the chemicals through. Generally speaking, all produce
that are eaten with the skin on should be tried and bought organic. If you are
further interested, a good resources by Good House Keeping is the dirty dozen
produce that have the most pesticides. It can be reached here,
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/recipes/healthy/dirty-dozen-foods#slide-1.
For meats, organic is definitely worth it knowing how unhygienic
conventional meats are these days. If you cannot afford organic, you at least
buy the meats that are no antibiotic and hormones. If you can afford it, the
best meat available is grass fed meat. It is not only keeps the animals happier
and away from diseases, it is the healthiest and cleanest meat
available. Grass fed meat is not cheap though, it can cost as much as
up to three times as more as regular meats.
Lastly, prepared foods such as snacks and canned foods that are organic
are the least worth it. This is because store bought prepared
food is not healthy in the first place. It contains a lot of oils, sugars
and salts for its preservation to better taste. Here it is okay
to save some money and pass on the organic selection as it has the
least benefits. If you if truly do not have time to cook at home and must
buy a prepared food, it is important to understand what the different labeling
of organic means. Different labels of organic labeling have different meanings
by the USDA. A package that says “100% organic” means that it is all organic. A
package that just says “organic” is made with at least 95% ingredients that are
organic. And lastly, a package that says “made with organic ingredients” must
have at least 70% of ingredients organic.
Hopefully this will clear up any confusion regarding the question of buying
organic.
As you can, see there is no one
answer for this question. The answer will be different for everyone depending
on their budget and what they are seeking to get out of organic food. Stay
tuned for more posts on my blog. Please let me know if you have any questions
or suggestions in the comments below.
