To organic or not to organic

Many people associate healthy eating with eating organic. This all depends on what you hope to achieve with your diet. Eating organic is regarded as being healthier for the planet, which will surely thank us all later. But is it actually worth the extra cost to benefit our health? In theory, you could have an organic burger and fries. Once in a while? Sure. All the time? Not so much.

There are a few guidelines that I recommend for which foods are best to buy organic. The Environmental Working Group has published it's Dirty Dozen alongside its Clean Fifteen. An easy guideline is this: pesticides are sprayed on the outside of the food. If you eat the skin or peel, or anything which would come in direct contact with the chemicals, it's likely better to buy organic. Fruits such as bananas, avocado, and mango always have their skin removed and so can be still safe to consume non-organic. This still does not ease the environmental burden, but for those of us who need to pick-and-choose our battles, this is an easy guideline.

I also always recommend buying dairy and meat products that are organic. Simple tips for meat-eaters include choosing certified organic and humane products, buying from local farmers wherever possible, and overall eating less meat by experimenting with various vegetarian dishes (note: this does not mean tofu and granola!).

Cheers to the Clean Fifteen!