I know what you’re thinking, Mamavation is big on eating organic, so why are we writing about the opposite? We’ve shared the reason’s why you should feed your family organic as well as the dangers of GMOs and glyphosate. Organic is always the best option to avoid GMOs, synthetic pesticides, biosolids, and artificial ingredients, but eating 100% organic isn’t always an option for everyone. If you’re looking to cut costs when it comes to what you eat, then this is the list for you. Save money on food you don’t need to buy organic
The Environmental Working Group has determined the level of pesticide exposure when it comes to the fruits and vegetables we eat. Plucked from the 15 cleanest foods on that list, these 13 foods are both GMO free and low in pesticide residue. Choosing conventional options of these foods can help you save money on organic.
Table of Contents
1. Avocados
Foods where you don’t eat the skin or outer shell are generally going to result in less exposure to pesticides. Avocados have a tough exterior, so when you discard the skin, you are also discarding most of the pesticides. The EWG found only 1% of avocados tested to contain any detectable pesticides.
2. Pineapples
Just as with avocados, pineapples have a thick outer layer. The fruit in the middle is protected from high pesticide exposure.
3. Cabbage
A sturdy leafed vegetable, cabbage requires lower doses of pesticides to grow.
4. Sweet Peas
Housed in a protective pod, peas are safe from the elements. Not only does this mean less damage from bugs, but it also means less pesticides need to be sprayed to protect the crop.
5. Onions
Onions are not a bug’s choice of plant. They are often used to as a companion plant to deter pests in the garden. As a result, they are treated with fewer pesticides.
6. Asparagus
Similarly to onions, this vegetable seems not to be a favorite for insects. Asparagus stalks ranked number seven overall on the EWG’s full list of pesticide data.
7. Mangoes
Cut open a mango to reveal it’s fruity flesh that has only a 12% chance of containing pesticide residues, according to the latest findings of the EWG.
8. Kiwi
The tough and fuzzy outside of a kiwi keeps the tangy fruit protected from pesticides. Although, you may want to opt for an organic version if you prefer to eat your kiwis with the skin on.
9. Eggplant
Eggplants don’t have a particularly thick skin, but it may be the slickness of their exterior that keep pesticides from sticking. This ranked number 11 overall fruits and vegetable tested.
10. Grapefruit
The thick peel of a grapefruit leaves the sour flesh relatively clean of pesticides.
11. Cantaloupe
Melons rind prevents the insides of the cantaloupe from persistent pesticides. It was found that 61% of the melons tested were completely free of pesticides residue.
12. Cauliflower
This hearty head of vegetable can be pricey when purchased organic. Thankfully it was found to be a low risk choice as far as pesticides are concerned. Save money on organic and buy the conventional version with piece of mind.
13. Sweet Potatoes
Despite a recent hike in the approved level of applied pesticides allowed on sweet potatoes, these rounded out the EWG’s top 15 foods with the lowest residue.
Other Ways to Limit Pesticide Exposure
The EWG points out that leafy greens, not on the list, are high in pesticides residue. Their recommendation is that if you cannot purchase organic greens, then be sure to cook them before eating. In general, pesticides levels decrease when food is cooked, which is a good tip of you are trying to save money on organic.
Shopping at farmer’s markets may be a way to buy food that is grown with little or no pesticides. Many small farms can’t afford organic certification, but use organic farming practices. At your local farmer’s market you can speak to the farmer directly and found out more about how your food was grown.
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Helena Cesari !
You need to do some more reading on bananas, not all are GMO and not. All have little black seeds, when I lived in Panama I would go out into the jungle find me a stalk of bananas take them home and hang them upside down in my shed until they ripened and then eat them, not one banana had the black seed that you said all had
All vegetables in the brassicas family are heavily sprayed …They are sprayed for the white cabbage month regularly …Cabbages , cauliflower and broccoli are heavily sprayed.
Do hazelnuts need to be organic?
I do not agree with this list at all. Pineapples were approved to be grown as a GMO in 2012/13. Same for mangos. I would caution anyone considering buying non-organic produce. Regardless of the skin of the veg/fruit many are now being produced with GMO’s.
Oh well I’ll tell ya THANKYOU for that advice, ya know because most of not here because we can afford “100%” organic.
“Pineapples were approved to be grown as a GMO in 2012/13.”
Buying organic has nothing to do with whether or not a food is genetically modified/GMO.
under the usda organic standards, a item labeled organic can NOT be GMO.
All bananas, both organic and regular, are GMO. If they were not, they would have small black seeds. They don’t!!!
I agree with you and how did you find out about the mangoes? I believe that they are sneaking GMOs in on us all the time and I will tell you why. The dirty and clean list keeps changing every year. This makes no sense because a fruit or vegetable stays the same, does it not? Why would it suddenly need so much pesticide that it gets put on the dirty list? The only reason I can come up with is that it’s a GMO because they do not grow worth a darn without lots of pesticides. I bought a flower, an annual this Spring and needed 2 but it was the last one. So I thought I would take a cutting from it so I looked it up. It was a GMO, patented, and had the death gene built right in. No label on it. It never grew and I use no pesticides.
except that monsanto soaks their seeds in the roundup, it grows w/ the food as it grows inside..
I agree with most of these except pineapple which is exclusively GMOed in the US if it is not organic, and onions because they easily absorb the chemicals in the soil. Most sulfur foods like cabbage, cauliflower, asparagus, broccoli, etc. do not need to be organic because they are naturally pest resistant. Also, unless you’re eating the rind, citrus fruits do not need to be organic.
Thanks great info for those of us on a budget, also grow as much of your own as possible, some veggies even grow well indoors.
Thanks great info for those of us on a budget, also grow as much of your own as possible, some veggies even grow well indoors.
With Avocados & Pineapples, the mention of the outer skin as a protectant seems to miss my thought that the pesticides get into the plant via the roots.
Am I Avery concerned about Watermelon, because I feel that the biggest threat is the pesticides in the ground, mixing with water to be the main liquid in the fruit!
Slightly confused….