EWG: 15 Fruits and Veggies You don't NEED to buy organic

"What's Fresh: Trying to save money? 15 foods you don’t need to buy organic

Although I enjoy the grocery store (maybe it’s because I’m a dietitian that I love checking out new products and comparing food labels), lately my husband is doing our grocery shopping.
His budget-friendly buys are great for our bank account. But they don’t always align with my interest in eating organically. We don’t buy everything organic, but pesticides can be absorbed into fruits and vegetables, leaving trace residues, and I’d prefer to not eat pesticides. Long-term exposure to them has been associated with cancer, infertility and neurologic conditions, such as Parkinson’s. (Here are 4 ways to reduce your exposure to pesticides.)

Anyway, one day he called me from the produce aisle. Andy wanted to know what on the list he truly needed to buy organic and what he could skimp on and buy conventional. (Does organic produce have more nutrients? Find out here.)

Fortunately, the Environmental Working Group (EWG, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization) has identified 15 fruits and vegetables that are least likely to be contaminated with pesticide residues. I told him to save money and buy those conventional:

Asparagus
Avocado
Broccoli
Cabbage
Eggplant
Kiwi
Mango
Onions
Papaya
Pineapple
Sweet corn (frozen)
Sweet peas (frozen)
Sweet potatoes
Tomatoes
Watermelon
(Save even more money with these dinner recipes for $3 or less per serving.)

EWG also identified 12 fruits and vegetables that are most likely to have higher trace amounts of pesticides. (If your budget allows, buy these 18 foods organic too.) We buy organic:

Apples
Carrots
Celery
Cherries
Grapes (imported)
Kale
Lettuce
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Sweet bell peppers
Strawberries
Do you buy organic? What foods do you think it’s worth to save on and which do you spend more on for organic?


By Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D."

I have an Avocado tree anyway, so I'm getting organic still. I say, the fresher you can get your fruit, the better. Especially since distributors pick and ripen the product on the way to the market.

Can you guys taste the difference between Organic vs. Conventional vs. Backyard garden?

I remember eating these strawberries from my back yard that were sort of strange tasting. Good, but kinda weird.

The thin skinned stuff makes sense to buy organic if you can.