Over the years organic versus conventional rules have changed over and over. Hence the new list. However, over the years some foods have come up time and time again in studies that note these foods are better in organic form than conventional form – i.e. more pesticides and other toxins have been found in these items than in other items.

When your money allows it, here are the best foods to spend your organic dollars on.

Veggies & Fruits — in any form (canned, jarred, fresh, frozen, dehydrated, etc.)

• First of all the big baddies – the newest dirty dozen which are the produce products with the largest concentrated amounts of pesticides, and consists of…

1. Peaches (worst)
2. Apples
3. Sweet Bell Peppers
4. Celery
5. Nectarines
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Kale
9. Lettuce
10. Imported Grapes
11. Carrots
12. Pears

Other items in this category to consider buying organic at all times include…

• Edamame (soy beans) + soy milk + soy formula + tofu
• Potatoes — all colors and varieties (including frozen like tator tots).
• Spinach
• Lemons, oranges, and limes or other citrus when used for zest

Dairy products + eggs:

Dairy products and eggs time and time again have been shown to contain large amounts of growth hormones and organic versions have been proven to be far more beneficial to your health. Butter, milk, cheese, ice cream, and other dairy products plus eggs should be top organic priorities on your shopping list.

Meat and poultry:

Meat, pork, and poultry advice has stayed pretty much the same for the last few years. There are pesticides found in meats and poultry but most studies agree that the big dangers in meats are hormones, antibiotics and additives. Organic meat is worth the cost to avoid these drugs and additives in your body but organic meat is also one of the more costly organics – a good choice is to eat less meat overall and buy organic when you do.

Any and all baby food: Learn why babies and young children should eat mostly organic foods.

Grains: Grains don’t often make the list when it comes to best foods to purchase organic. Fewer pesticides are found in grain items than other foods. Buy when and if you can afford it because health is not the only reason to support organic farming but it’s more important to buy other food items first.

My take – I always buy dairy, eggs, and most produce in organic form. I buy any other foods in organic after this. The perfect goal would be to buy all organic, but second best is to purchase the worst conventional offenders first (as shown above).

Which foods do you always buy organic?

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

“What you eat affects our environment more than most anything else.

…more than switching to a hybrid car

…more than switching to mercury free lightbulbs

…more than recycling”

Personally, I think it’s a mixture of issues that affect our environment most; with consumerism heading up the situation. However, this post is not off base at all. Foods we eat both by type and packaging really do make a huge difference. Read the post, then come back and review some of our previous posts about healthier, less packaged foods to eat.

• Homemade Organic Fruit Snacks
• Tofu Recipes for Kids
• Two Tofu Tips for Parents
• Why Go Meatless More Often?
• Meatless Monday
• How to Cook Everything Vegetarian
• Veggie Books for Kids
• One Small Step: Eat One Meatless Meal
• 32 Unique Homemade Popsicle Recipes & Ideas – pops that aren’t packaged and have no added baddies.
  

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in May 2008

[photo via stock.xchng]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

School grounds are really important, and a tough green issue. Many schools have a large amount of ground space and want it to look good. However, this doesn’t mean your school needs to use harmful chemicals and pesticides. A big yard can be just as pretty when treated organically.

Questions to consider that are related to your school grounds include:

1. What products are used on the actual grounds – chemical or organic?
2. Do you have a school flower, fruit, or veggie garden? Are you growing these items organically?
3. Do more trees need to be planted for shade, windbreakers, or to prevent water erosion?
4. How much water is the school using? Can you build rainwater barrels, or cut out some grass and have a big sandbox instead? Is there vegetation that can thrive with less water use at your school?
5. Does your school encourage natural wildlife specific to the area, such as bees, birds, and butterflies? If you don’t see any of these native creatures around your school yard, odds are, your school has the wrong sort of plants growing.

More on healthy, green school grounds.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Now about organic foods. My basic take on food in general is that if it spent too much time in a laboratory it probably does not belong on your plate. If you can limit the mass produced foods you eat and stick to things that actually grow naturally your health will fare much better.

But no family is perfect (well, maybe some but I know mine isn’t). However we do try very hard to stick to eating items that haven’t been messed with too much.

Pesticides on food not only pollutes your family’s bodies but also pollutes the air, water, and land. There are far too many issues related to pesticides and toxins to discuss in one post so today a nice simple list…

The absolute best thing would be to buy everything organic but because organic food can be expensive you might have to pick and choose which foods you buy organic and which you buy conventional.

Over the years I’ve read and researched organic versus conventional and the story often changes. However, there are some food items that research continually reports is better to buy organic than conventional because more pesticides and other toxins have been found in these items than in other items.

If you want to go organic than here are some items you should consider before others.

Dry Goods:

• Cereal
• Granola
• Dried apricots
• Raisins
• Rice (all varieties)
• Crackers
• Taco shells & taco chips (corn chips)
• Soy flour
• Oats

Bottled & Canned Items:

• Ketchup
• Applesauce
• Mixed fruit
• Jams and jelly
• Peanut butter
• Chicken broth

Cold & Frozen Food Items:

• Cheese
• Milk (including soy)
• Butter
• Yogurt
• Eggs
• Tofu

Veggies & Fruits — in any form (canned, jarred, fresh, frozen)

If you only buy two produce items organic go with potatoes and apples. Both are big bads when it comes to pesticides.

• Edamame (soy beans)
• Raspberries
• Strawberries
• Potatoes — all colors and varieties (including frozen like tator tots).
• All types of apples
• Celery
• Grapes (imported)
• Pears
• Peaches
• Nectarines
• Green beans
• Any color bell peppers
• Spinach
• Lemons and lime when used for zest
• Tangerines

Beverages:

• Soda
• Yogurt smoothies
• Apple juice
• Grape juice

Meat, seafood, and other protein (meat-like) items:

Meats are touchy because honestly most meats have an excess of not ok pesticides, toxins, and other icky chemicals in them still buying organic can cut down on the bad and increase the good for meat eaters. Here are some biggies:

• Pork — if you buy one food organic buy this one. Ham, bacon, and other pig products come up time and time again as some of the most toxic food items around. Spending all your organic money on this would be smart.
• Chicken
• Turkey
• TVP (Texturized Vegetable Protein)

Notice beef and seafoods don’t make the list — while both are better natural and organic they don’t come up as often on the big bad lists.

This is a good general list to get you started with organic eating. Keep in mind that everyone’s idea of what’s bad and what’s less healthy is different. The items above are the ones I see over and over listed as “better in organic version.” However, these are not the only things I buy organic and I know some people who buy conventional versions of the items above and organic in others so it helps to do your own research.

To learn more about organic foods take a look at The Organic Consumers Association and here’s a great article with 17 ways to eat organic for cheap (or at least for less).

For the littles:

Kids can find organic games, coloring pages, learn all kinds of cool nature facts, print stickers, and more at the EnviroKidz website.

They also make good organic cereal. It’s not bulk so there’s packaging to contend with but it’s much better than conventional.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family