Is it worth it to buy organic?

I like good food. I like to cook. I even like to shop for groceries. I can honestly say I love going to the market in the summer months when the tables are overflowing with colourful, earthy smelling, fresh produce. When fruits and vegetables are from local suppliers I usually opt for local over organic. Unless of course we can get locally grown organic produce. Local is generally cheaper, fresher and by buying local I am helping to sustain our local economy. In the winter months, when produce has either been cold stored for months, or trucked up from warmer climates I pay more attention to my organic choices. Storing or shipping foods often necessitates the use of pesticides to help keep the products looking fresh even though they are weeks old. (I'll leave the topic of GMO for another day!)

Price is always a factor, but quality comes first. I have come across organic lettuce that was full of bug bitten holes - not very appetizing! Likewise limp or bruised product doesn't appeal to me whether it is organic or not. I will pay more for fresh looking, fresh tasting produce. I admit that I probably eat more fruits and vegetables in the summer months when my choices are more variable. By this time in the winter I am getting tired of apples and bananas have become a staple for breakfast on the go. Sadly I have worked my way though much of my supply of local frozen organic blueberries that I stashed away during the peak season last year. These tasty morsels I use in my smoothies! Bring on the warmer weather - I need a fresh fruit fix! But I have digressed... back to the question of is it worth the extra cost to buy organic.

"The U.S. Department of Agriculture found that even after washing, some fruits and vegetables consistently carry much higher levels of pesticide residue than others. Based on an analysis of more than 100,000 U.S. government pesticide test results, researchers at the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a research and advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C., have developed the “dirty dozen” fruits and vegetables, above, that they say you should always buy organic, if possible, because their conventionally grown counterparts tend to be laden with pesticides. They cost about 50 percent more — but are well worth the money."


The “Dirty Dozen”: Must-buy organic foods are:

Fruit

• Apples
• Cherries
• Grapes, imported (Chili)
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Pears
• Raspberries
• Strawberries

Vegetables

• Bell peppers
• Celery
• Potatoes
• Spinach

Hopefully this has given you some insight into when to spend a little more for your produce.

Before I leave this topic I just want to add a few things about buying organic meats and poultry. I discovered a few years ago that when I bought hormone-free, free range chicken that I ate less to feel the same degree of fullness. This is not just my imagination. The regular supermarket chicken has been plumped up with hormones and often injected with water prior to being sent to market. The water adds weight to the chicken but does nothing for it's flavour. If you compare a highly processed chicken breast to a medication free chicken breast you will notice that the medication free breast is darker in colour - if there is any visible fat it is a deeper yellow. Why pay for water. Choose the free range chicken and enjoy a smaller portion. I have found the same to be true of organic beef. Try it and see if you notice the difference.