When visiting local Crawfordsville grocery stores,
medical weight loss patients are always faced with the question: to buy organic or not to buy organic? Though buying organic food has its health benefits, organic food prices tend to be higher than those of generic food products. Not only do organic foods typically taste better, they also limit your exposure to residue or pesticides often lingering on their common counterparts.
However, there’s a secret to shopping organically—you don’t have to buy every piece of produce or veggie in its organic form. There are certain foods available at the grocery store that don’t necessarily need to be purchased organic when supplementing your medical weight loss diet.
Here are a few surprising item you don’t have to buy organic:
Asparagus isn’t faced with as many threats such as pests and disease as other vegetables, so fewer pesticides need to be used to protect their spears. Just give the generic asparagus a clean rinse before preparing it for a meal—even if you plan to boil the asparagus.
Mangoes, avocadoes and pineapples have thick skins that protect their insides from residue and pesticides. You don’t have to buy these delicious fruits in their organic forms but before you cut and peel them, just remember to wash the outer skins thoroughly to avoid transferring residue to their fleshy insides.
Onions also have a protective skin barrier, so you don’t have to worry about pesticides seeping into their cores. Also, not many pests bug onions so they typically require less pesticide spraying.
On the other hand, there are certain fruits and veggies exposed to higher amounts of pesticides, so you may want to purchase the following foods in their organic forms:
Peppers and celery react to pesticides the same way a sponge would—they soak them up by absorbing the chemicals through their skins. This means you won’t be able to reduce chemical ingestion solely by washing or peeling the skins. What’s more, the United States Department of Agriculture have found more than 60 different pesticides on certain celery after testing.
Lettuce, spinach and collard greens are doused in chemicals to ward off large populations of attracted insects. However, organic growers use non-toxic repellents to keep vegetables free of pests, so it may be safer buy greens in their organic forms if possible.
Potatoes are considered root vegetables so they tend to absorb pesticides and herbicides from the soil they’re grown in. You can avoid ingesting these chemicals by opting for the organic kind. It may be difficult to find organic potatoes in certain stores in Crawfordsville so try sweet potatoes instead. They are typically grown with fewer pesticides overall.
These are just a few of the foods you can save some money by purchasing their generic forms. Organic foods may be pricey but you don’t have to buy all the food you need to supplement your weight loss diet in organic forms. Keep these lists in mind on your next visit to the grocery store and remember to only buy organic when it counts.