Why Organic?

There is widespread belief that organic food is safer, more nutritious, and tastes better than conventional food; these beliefs have fueled increased demand for organic food despite higher prices. While doing the Ultimate Reset, our goal was to remove all impurities from our bodies and thus we were encouraged to buy organic. As I live my post-reset life and create a sustainable, affordable diet, I want to know Why Organic? 

Organic produce tends to cost more than its conventional equivalent because organic farming is more labor-intensive—due in part to fewer pesticides used. Additionally, it’s expensive for farmers to maintain their organic status and those producers tend to have smaller supplies because they don’t use preservatives, causing their products to have a shorter shelf life.

Throughout my research, I found that there is certain produce that should be grown organically; it is cleverly referred to as the "dirty dozen". I found similar lists on several reputable websites. I've compiled it here, along with reasoning as to why these fruits and veggies are considered dirty - and should be purchased from certified organic sellers.

The “Dirty Dozen”

	Why They’re Dirty
Celery	Due to peak consumer demand around Thanksgiving/Christmas, 75% of the crop is grown during the fall and winter, when rain and wind promote the growth of bacteria and fungal diseases. And because we eat the entire stalk, it must be sprayed repeatedly to ward off pests.
Peaches	Sweet and succulent, peaches can be just as attractive to insects as to people. Farmers may spray peaches every week or two from bloom to harvest—and peach fuzz can trap pesticides.
Strawberries	Strawberries are not only sweet and juicy but also delicate and prone to disease, including fungal attacks that can turn them to mush during transit and storage.
Apples	Sweet-smelling and delicious, apples are susceptible to more than 30 insects and at least 10 diseases. And fungicides and other chemicals are added after picking to prevent tiny blemishes that can accumulate during storage of up to 9 months.
Blueberries	The berries are targets for insects such as blueberry maggots and bagworms.
Nectarines	Thanks to their waxy skin, they don't retain as many pesticides as peaches. On the other hand, they are more vulnerable to rot and scarring.
Bell Peppers	Unlike cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, sweet bell peppers (which are technically fruits) have no bitter compounds to serve as built-in insect repellents. They even lack the fiery taste of their cousins, the chile peppers. And the creases at their crowns may provide nooks for pesticides to accumulate
Spinach	Spinach is a mere leaf that's crunched by a variety of insects, including grasshoppers. In addition, spinach tends to pull DDT residues (which remain in the earth decades after they were banned) out of the soil and into the leaf.
Kale	The outer leaves are not removed before sale, so any amount of damage will make it unmarketable. Even natural enemies of the pests that feed on kale can be considered contaminants in harvested produce, so farmers spray for all bugs, including the "good" ones.
Cherries	Because cherries are a naked fruit—without peel or protection—they're vulnerable to pests such as the western cherry fruit fly. If just one of its maggots is found in a shipment, the entire load of fruit must be dumped, according to quarantine regulations, so growers spray out of fear of losing their crops.
Potatoes	America's number one vegetable is sprayed 5 or more times throughout the growing season to protect against various pests—and to ensure a crop of uniform shape and size for fast-food outlets and potato chip producers. After harvesting, another round of spraying occurs in the packing shed to ward off molds and sprouting.
Imported Grapes	During their long transit from the southern hemisphere, imported grapes are susceptible to Botrytis cinerea rot, which causes the fruits to split and leak. To prevent that, farmers spray aggressively with fungicides.

On the flipside there is a similiar list referred to as the "Clean Fifteen" which are usually more sheltered from pesticides and therefore if you are not prepared to go 100% Organic, this is where you could purchase non-organic produce:

onions, avocados, sweet corn, pineapples, mango, sweet peas, asparagus, kiwi, cabbage, eggplant, cantaloupe, watermelon, grapefruit, sweet potatoes, and sweet onions



 Regardless of the produce that you obtain, the FDA recommends washing all of it (including produce you plan to peel) under running water and drying it with a clean cloth or paper towel to further reduce bacteria. Be sure to even wash produce that has a tough skin—such as cantaloupe, avocado and cucumbers—as the bacteria on the outside can transfer via your knife to the flesh. The FDA suggests you scrub these and other firm fruits and vegetables with a clean produce brush.

So whether you are buying organic because it's trendy or doing it for your health - you're doing it. Good for you! Hopefully this guide will help you ease into the organic lifestyle, if you're not ready to jump in with both feet (and your paycheck). But if you really want to be sure that the food you're eating is healthy and clean, why not grow you're own....

Our planter box at the Organic Fitness Community Garden.