Organic vs. Conventional: Where To Spend The Extra Dollar (Or Two)
Would you agree that there’s some major hype about buying organic vs. conventional products these days? I feel like every other item in the grocery store has an organic label thrown on it, meanwhile it’s twin is sitting on the same shelf without an organic label. I find myself staring at the two going back and forth, back and forth. Okay, well this one says organic and is $2 more expensive than this one. Hmmm, I don’t really have it in my budget to spend the extra $2 right now. Oh crap, okay I’ll just buy it.
To be honest, I tend to feel overwhelmed by the overload of information I read from different practitioners, bloggers and news articles. While I truly get the reason for buying organic, it's so hard for me to commit to buying ALL organic products because it’s so damn expensive. Can I get an amen? Before I share with you my simple guide to navigating organic vs. nonorganic on a budget, let me provide you with the sparknotes version of what it means to be organic.
Essentially organic foods are grown without synthetic pesticides, fertilizers or genetically modified organisms. Organic meats are those that don’t receive any antibiotics or hormones and have been fed organic feed. This article from HuffPost does a great job touching on purchasing organic vs. conventional. It also mentions that a higher consumption of chemicals sprayed on our foods may lead to cancer, birth defects and other major health issues. And from my own research, I’ve noticed that the greater number of chemicals sprayed on food helps to expedite the growing process and produce bigger products that have been altered from growing naturally. So, while it’s safe to say that buying organically is better for your overall health, what about if you can’t afford to buy organic?! I can TOTALLY relate. I’ve got you!!
Using the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen, from one of my most trusted websites: Environmental Working Group, I have created a cheat sheet for the grocery store. Print it out, take a screenshot, do whatever you need to do. I keep a copy myself and love sharing it with friends and family to make grocery shopping a little less overwhelming.
Dirty Dozen: Produce that uses the most pesticides therefore should be bought organic.
Clean Fifteen: Produce that uses the least amount of pesticides and is less essential to buy organic.
I use this list to prioritize where I’m spending the extra dollar. I make sure I purchase the foods listed on the Dirty Dozen organic, but don’t sweat when I can’t afford to buy the Clean Fifteen organic. I also provided you with a few extra handy grocery store tips because that’s how I roll!
Xoxo.
Candice