Buying Organic Fruits and Vegetables

By CNY Healing Arts Published on

Nutritional Counseling at CNY Healing Arts in SyracuseTo many people, grocery shopping is a chore they would rather not do.  Not only is it time consuming, but it can really give you a headache, too.  Low fat, low sodium, sugar-free, high fiber, all-natural, organic – these are some of the buzz words we see and hear when shopping.  To help make your shopping a little less stressful, let’s take a look at the organic foods.

People choose to eat or not eat organic for many reasons.  Eating organic is not cheap and luckily, it is not always necessary. The most common reason to include more organic foods is to reduce your family’s exposure to pesticides and chemicals.  It’s very common to see organic fruits and vegetables along side non-organic varieties.  How do you know which ones you should spend the extra money on?  Here are some of the top produce picks to buy organic:

Apples                   Pears
Celery                    Peppers
Cherries                Potatoes
Grapes                   Raspberries
Nectarines           Spinach
Peaches                 Strawberries

With these fruits and vegetables, it’s very difficult to wash off all of the pesticides and chemicals.  Take strawberries, for instance.  There are hundreds of little crevices on the berry where the chemicals can seep into.  As a rule of thumb, if you are going to eat the whole food (meaning you are not going to peel it), then definitely buy organic.

Hopefully these tips will help you to shop smart and eat smart.

Heather Neely, RD, CDN