Foods Worth Buying Organic

By Danielle Miller, GalTime.com

Organic
Organic

BUY ORGANIC--- shouts the media. It has become trendy to bypass 'regular' fruits, vegetables, and meats in favor of organic options. Organic foods are often clearly labeled organic and tend to cost more than alternative produce found at the grocery store.

Generally speaking, many consider organic food to be better for you, but what makes organic food the healthier option and which specific foods should we spend the extra money to buy organic?

Stella Metsovas, clinical nutritionist, identifies which foods are worth spending the extra cash to buy organic, and explains why:

Strawberries
Strawberries are one of the most heavily sprayed crops in the United States. And now, more precautions should be made when purchasing non-organic strawberries because of a new pesticide called methyl iodide. This is widely debated pesticide that has caused some concern among scientists and consumer groups.

Related: Week by Week Tips for National Nutrition Week

Grapes
Most grapes are heavily sprayed with pesticides and preserving agents to prevent bacterial growth with the intent to preserve the fruit longer. In addition, most grapes are largely imported into the Untied States from sources that have no laws governing pesticides. Pay special attention to the beverages you consume-many of them contain grape juice (non organic) as the leading ingredient.

Potatoes
Potatoes literally grow in the ground-and if that soil isn't organic-you're literally growing the potato in pesticides (as well as other harmful toxins). Potatoes are also sprayed before they hit your market to reduce spoiling.

Chicken
I'm very mindful when in comes to non-organic chicken-the growing conditions are often times unfathomable. I'm aware that organic chicken is often times almost triple the price of non-organic, although I'm quick to point out the Westernized diet is often too rich in animal-based proteins, with severe deficiencies in vegetable consumption. Consume less of the chicken and more vegetables! We are not a protein deficient nation, rather, we are consuming foods that are heavily clad with saturated fats, processed ingredients and growing conditions that are unfit for human consumption.

Related: Using Food as Medicine

Peanuts and Peanut Butter
In addition to strawberries, peanuts are one of the most heavily sprayed crops in the United States. Peanuts are also one of the leading causes of allergies in humans, mainly because of the dangerous mold, Aspergillus flavos. Both organic and non-organic are prone to this mold, although organic peanut farmers take extra precautions for inhibiting other pathogens like: mold, salmonella and the pathogenic form of e.coli.

Meat
We are overproducing cattle to meet with the growing demand of the Westernized lifestyle that includes processed and fast foods. I'm 100% against consuming animals that are not kept in humane standards. Cows are often times subjected to poor feed quality that inhibits their immune systems to function correctly. Recently, we've heard of a deadly strain of E.coli (0157) that more importantly, affects humans more so than the cow.

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