C. Booth
Last Updated on January 7, 2021
Are organic foods healthier? Are they worth their price tags? A brief answer is: not really!
Organic food may seem the best decision when you want to start a healthy eating journey, but switching to a 100% organic diet can be a bit too hefty. While certain organic foods are worth every penny, others are better excluded from your list of foods to buy organic.
For instance, poultry, meat, and dairy are best bought organic, plus, you may easily find good deals on organic milk and meat at a store near you. However, other organic foods can be a waste of money as they’re just as healthy as their non-organic counterparts.
Sometimes, we know better than the green labels! Check out these 5 foods you don’t need to buy organic, in addition to 1 product that’s definitely worth its organic price.
#1 – Seafood
Seafood that’s labeled as organic is actually farm-raised, not wild-caught. In fact, when looking into the meaning of organic fresh fish and shellfish, you’ll fail to find any USDA standards regulating what it means.
Your best, and healthiest, option is to buy wild-caught fish since it naturally boasts high levels of Omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants as well as it’s never treated with antibiotics and is environmentally friendly.
#2 – Cauliflower, Cabbage, & Broccoli
The list of products that contain the highest pesticide residue levels is changing every year because of various factors, such as climate and which chemicals were used.
However, some vegetables manage to always skip being on that list since they retain far less pesticide residue than other veggies.
So, when buying onions, eggplant, corn, cauliflower, cabbage, or asparagus, it’s best to go for the non-organic ones.
Sometimes, non-organic food can be both healthy and cheap.
#3 – Fruits with Thick Skin
When craving pineapples, papayas, melons, mangoes, grapefruit, avocados, or bananas, you don’t have to waste money on the organic varieties. Fruit with thick skin usually has low levels of pesticides, plus, once you remove the skin, you also get rid of the risky parts.
What’s more, the price gap between organic and non-organic versions of the same fruit can be shockingly huge while they can both be equally healthy. So next time you’re grocery shopping, don’t waste money on organic bananas.
But when it comes to thin-skinned fruits like berries, going organic is the safest option.
#4 – Junk Food
You may already know that the USDA organic standards ban high-fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, and artificial colors, so you may save money by simply checking the ingredient lists of chips, cookies, or any junk food you want to buy without having to buy the organic varieties.
Many of us may believe that buying organic is the right thing to do but those organic chips or chocolate bars still contain loads of sugar and fat.
For snacks, you should better check the ingredients and nutrition facts yourself and you can end up making healthy choices as well as saving a couple of bucks.
#5 – Packaged Foods
Unlike organic packaged items, buying organic dairy, poultry, and meat is actually money well-spent.
In fact, although processed foods are certified organic, they’re just not as healthy and nutritious as their whole, fresh counterparts. Again, instead of simply picking up a product that’s labeled organic, check nutrition facts on non-organic foods for more cost-effective and healthy options.
You want to avoid any foods that have added sugars, preservatives, additives, and trans fats. The healthiest foods would be low in sugar and calories, high in fiber, and made with whole grains.
#6 – This is the product you should always buy organic
If you had to buy only one organic food, it would be organic grass-fed meat. According to studies, organic grass-fed meat is more nutritious than conventionally raised meat, plus, it has higher levels of Omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants.
The organic label on meat also indicates that the animal wasn’t treated with any growth hormones or antibiotics as well as it wasn’t fed synthetic pesticides.
Although organic grass-fed beef is more expensive, it’s totally worth it.
Feel free to share this article with people you know and if you have anything on mind, please leave a comment below.
Comments
0 comments