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Is paying for that “organic” label really worth it?Let’s face it, with how high food prices are today and the fact that they continue to rise is hard enough to digest without going organic. Buying organic can almost double or triple your bill at check out. So is it worth it?

It is.

Certain foods should be bought organic to protect you and your loved ones. Only through buying certified organic can you be sure you aren’t consuming products that have been irradiated, genetically modified, cloned or that contain, chemicals, preservatives, hormones and antibiotics.

Studies have shown that growth hormones given to animals can cause early puberty in girls as well as an increased risk of breast and prostate cancer, while antibiotics can lower your immune system making you more susceptible to microorganisms, potentially causing you to get sick more easily.

A recent study conducted by Stanford University reports that buying organic food is no healthier than buying conventional and that organic products have still been found to have a small amount of pesticide in them. But there are many other reasons to go organic aside from pesticides such as those listed above. If you can cut down on your pesticide intake—which is what buying certified organic does—rather than buying conventional and ingesting larger amounts, why wouldn’t you?

To cut down on the grocery bill and the potential harmful effects choose organic with these 15 foods:

1.) Lettuce and leafy greens

2.) All berries

3.) Apples

4.) Pears

5.) Peaches

6.) Nectarines

7.) Tomatoes

8.) Potatoes

9.) Celery

10.) Grapes

11.) Peppers

12.) Meat

13.) Milk

14.) Eggs

15.) Yogurt and cultured smoothies

The most important things to buy organic are lettuce and leafy greens, vegetables, fruits and berries that have a thin membrane where chemicals and pesticides can easily enter. Also milk, meat, eggs, yogurt and cultured smoothies because of hormones and antibiotics.

Sources:

The Effects of Growth Hormones in Food, March 13, 2011.

The Effects of Pesticides in Food, September 2, 2010.

Safer Food for a Healthier You, December 8, 2008.

DeWysockie is the owner of Taken Back to Nature, LLC, and a holistic health practitioner, yoga and prenatal yoga instructor, writer and author. She loves nature and creating; she makes skin care products without harmful chemicals or preservatives and works in her field as a health and fitness counselor. You can follow her at www.takenbacktonature.com or www.facebook.com/holistichealthnow.

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Assist: Sara Crolick/Kate Bartolotta