Another Organic Cheat Sheet

I stumble across these occasionally and always read them diligently to tuck away in my brain for when I need it. Unfortunately, I suffer from mommy brain and three minutes into the grocery store cannot remember all of the items on my list, much less a list I saw in a magazine two weeks ago. The current magazine is Cooking Light, although, upon closer inspection, I discovered that it came from the Environmental Working Group's website. You can get this guide from them pretty enough to print and frame here. (Well, maybe not quite that pretty.) I like these lists because it helps me know how to prioritize my budget. Which foods are okay to fudge on and regularly or occasionally buy conventional, and which foods I want to make sure are organic whenever possible.

Best to buy Organic:

• Apples
• Potatoes
• Lettuce
• Cherries
• Bell Peppers
• Spinach
• Peaches
• Nectarines
• Carrots
• Celery
• Strawberries

Contain trace amounts of pesticides (less crucial to buy organic):

• Pinepples
• Eggplant
• Asparagus
• Onions
• Broccoli
• Mangoes
• Kiwifruit
• Bananas
• Avocados
• Cabbage

One thing I also keep in mind is the size of the person consuming the food. If I am buying for a bunch of young adult guys who will consume most of the food in front of the, I probably will buy conventional if its not on the worst foods lists. If I am buying for my little baby it will probably be organic because her system is smaller.