Some people buy everything organic. This isn’t necessary. However there are a few foods you should always buy organic. Not sure which you should buy organic and which you don’t have to? It’s easy. If it has a thick skin that you don’t eat, like an avocado, you don’t need to buy it organic. Pesticides cannot penetrate the thick skin of an avocado so it’s protected. Same for bananas, spaghetti squash, oranges, etc. Foods like tomatoes, zucchini, spinach, etc with skin you do eat, you should always buy organic. It is also recommended that you buy meats and dairy organic to avoid any added growth hormones that are given to the animals.

Materials and practices not used in organic farming include:

1. Synthetic fertilizers

2. Sewage sludge as fertilizer

3. Synthetic pesticides for pest control

4. Irradiation to preserve food

5. Genetic engineering

6. Antibiotic or growth hormones in livestock

Organic tends to be a little pricier most times than the non organic. But wouldn’t you rather pay a higher price to protect your body from unnecessary and harmful chemicals you could potentially ingest?

To learn more I recommend reading the USDA blog post on organic foods!

https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/03/22/organic-101-what-usda-organic-label-means