Organic: To Buy or Not to Buy?

Organic. That word seems to be everywhere these days. I guess that is a good thing, but it is definitely not a black and white issue when it comes to buying organic. There are many things to consider: price, environmental issues, effects on the human body, shelf life.



The first place I started was wikipedia. I wanted to find out just what Organic meant. Organic is a form of agriculture which avoids or largely excludes the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, plant growth regulators and livestock feed additives. This farming method is very beneficial to the environment, as it does not allow harmful chemicals to leech into the soil and ground water. However, it is not just the environment that benefits -- the consumers do so as well. If pesticides and chemicals are not used on fields then we are not ingesting them.



Often organic products can cost significantly more than their non-organic counterparts. In many instances it will cost you almost double to buy organic. So, until farmers find a way to grow money on tress, organically of course, you may not be able to go strictly organic. So, what should you do? In my opinion, there are definitely things that you should try and buy organic, and other products I would buy conventionally. My ideas are from a human consumption standpoint -- of course I would say buy all organic considering the benefits to the environment!

Food I would definitely buy Organic:
* Root Vegetables: not only are they getting the pesticides sprayed on them, but they are also absorbing the water and runoff that has the chemicals in it.
* Fruit with Edible Outside: these would be your apples, grapes, cherries and other fruit that has an edible outside. The chemicals are sprayed directly on them.
* Beef, Dairy & Poultry Products: not only are these fed organic foods but they are also not treated with any hormones or antibiotics. We consume a lot of dairy products (milk, cheese), beef and poultry products and studies have indicated there may be a link to antibacterial resistance in humans when they are treated.

Foods I would not necessarily buy Organic:
* Fruit with a Hard, Non-Edible Outer Coating: these would be your bananas, kiwi, mango, avocado, etc. The coverings on these foods actually act as a barrier when they are sprayed.