Everything But The Weed

Approved by:
Linda Maze, a Wedding photography Gainesville FL in Gainesville Florida

In the not so distant past , buying organic food was something that many of us  considered  unnecessary and frankly  a little weird .  I can even remember  hearing  that fruit and vegetables  grown in this way were more of a threat to  consumers  than products  grown in the traditional  manner. The argument  of organic vs inorganic foods are yet being made, but the arguments against organics are few and far between  with increasing numbers of shoppers  voting with their pocketbooks for  organic over inorganic.

now, buying items that have been grown  without chemicals is part of an overall green living program.  Consumers  are starting become aware  that exposure to fewer pesticides, chemicals  and modified ingredients have to be better  for our health and for saving the environment .  Proof of this change in public thinking  is reflected in the increased number of products in the organic sections  of the grocery store .  Once the produce manager  might have shot you a weird look  if you asked for such items, we now see the organic products on display  throughout the store.  Everybody has their own reason  for making the change.   My wakeup call was my youngest child’s  compromised immune system and problems with food allergies  that were my motivation to buy organic whenever possible.

THE GOOD NEWS AND THE BAD

The good news is that facts  regarding the benefits of buying organic food is spreading.  The bad news is that when you see a product with an organic label  it is often accompanied by a more expensive price  than traditionally grown produce . This is  probably  one of the only negatives associated with buying organic food. 

BUYING ORGANIC ON A BUDGET

If your household budget  is already stretched to the limit  and you simply can’t afford to pay more to feed your family, a good approach  may be to shop for  fruits and vegetables whose chemical pesticide retention rates make it worthwhile  to buy organic. 

Here’s a list of the top 5 veggies  that experts recommend that we buy because they are known to retain the most chemicals:

• Spinach and Lettuce Potatoes
• Bell Peppers
• Broccoli
• Asparagus
• Cabbage
• Eggplant
• Onions
• Avocado

This is a list of fruits  that are worth buying organic:

• Strawberries and Raspberries
• Cherries
• Grapes (Imported)
• Apples

BABIES 

I try  to buy the most important organic fruits and vegetables for my entire family, but at times I just can’t manage it.  However, even during times of budget crisis  my green parenting goal is to make certain that <b>everything</b> my babies eat is organically grown.  Infants are especially  vulnerable  to the dangers of chemicals  because of  their fragile immune systems,  It just doesn’t make sense  to swaddle them in organic baby bedding and dress them in expensive organic cotton baby clothes  only to feed them <b>in</b>organic foods . 

DAIRY PRODUCTS and MEAT

Where buying organic really takes a toll on a  family’s food budget  is buying meat and dairy products .  You may save money by buying from local producers that you trust  but I am thinking  of saving even more by restricting  the amount of these products  that I buy for my family .  

ORGANIC FOODS THAT AREN’T WORTH IT

With the information that we have, I’m relatively certain  that most people  would go all organic if we could but in reality it’s just too expensive for most people .  It’s a better plan to buy  more fruits and veggies that bring the least amount of pesticides possible to the table. 

 Here are some veggies that have few pesticides:

• Broccoli
• Asparagus
• Cabbage
• Eggplant
• Onions
• Avocado

And here are some low-risk fruits:

• Bananas
• Mangos
• Pineapples
• Kiwi

I buy a lot  of the items in this group  so that I don’t feel the need to buy organic .  And if you noticed  that there is no mention of seafood, the reason for this omission is because there are currently no standards in place.