Top Ten Foods You Should buy Organic

Picture courtesy of FoxNews

This latest headline caught my eye, "Apples Receive Top Honor on Dirty Dozen". Interestingly enough the apple tops the list of foods that should buy Organic. Why? Can't you just wash them and peel them?
Here is an excerpt from the article:

The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit consumer advocacy group, recently released their annual “Dirty Dozen” list of pesticide-laden fruits and vegetables. 

This year, for the first time, apples ascend to the top of the list as the most chemically-contaminated produce.

Everyone understands that a healthy diet is one that includes plenty of fruits and vegetables. But some produce contains more pesticide residue than others and limiting that exposure is vitally important.

Using government data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the EWG tested more than 700 apples and found pesticides on 98 percent of those sampled. Even after washing, 92 percent of the apples tested had two or more pesticide residues detected. You can’t wash away pesticides in the fruit. The fruit’s structure has been compromised, so even if you peel an apple or wash it, the pesticides are in the cellular structure because they have been grown in a poison environment.

“We think what’s happening to apples is more pesticides and fungicides are being applied after the harvest so the fruit can have a longer shelf life,” Sonya Lunder, EWG senior analyst told USA Today.

It got me thinking that is for sure. There are just some foods you should purchase organic and at least from a farmers market. Here is their top 10 list of foods you should consider purchasing organic. 

1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Strawberries
4. Peaches
5. Spinach
6. Nectarines (imported)
7. Grapes (imported)
8. Sweet bell peppers
9. Potatoes
10. Blueberries (domestic)

If you have a limited budget, and who doesn't in these economic times, try and set aside enough money to at least get these foods from your Organic section at the supermarket, or better yet from your local organic farmer's market. Focus your budget on the top 5 products, and fill in where you can on the remaining items. 

Having apples on the top surprised me. I had always heard that if you can peel the fruit you will be fine, looks like in this case "they" were wrong. Does this surprise you?