Eating more fruits and vegetables—organic or not—is better than eating none. Because let’s face it, you’re too grown to not be eating fruits and vegetables.

Most of us would love to be able to buy organic produce all the time, but it can be expensive. Nobody's trying to spend a check on food!

But, is it worth the extra coins?

Before I tell you what you should spend extra on, let me school you on pesticides.

What are Pesticides? Pesticides are toxic chemicals used to protect crops from insects, weeds, and infections. They protect farmers from losing their crop, but cause harm to the human body. Pesticides can cause short-term and chronic effects that can occur months or years after exposure. Examples range from nausea, dizziness, diarrhea to cancer, birth defects, and immunotoxicity.

It’s bad y’all.

So what exactly is “Organic?”

Produce can be called organic if it’s certified to have grown on soil that had no synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

Now, I know you think eating organic foods comes at a hefty price. But that isn’t always true. Some fruits and veggies are less likely to be contaminated with pesticide, so you can feel good about buying them normal if you are trying to stick to a budget.

So let’s shop smarter guys.

And with my guidance, I can help you identify what you should be buying organic vs. not.  

Dirty Dozen aka BUY ORGANIC:

Even after washing these fruits and veggies consistently, they still carry very high levels of pesticide residue than others. Consider buying organic versions of these fruits and vegetables:

• Strawberries
• Apples
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Celery
• Grapes
• Cherries
• Spinach
• Tomatoes
• Sweet bell peppers
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Cucumbers

Clean Fifteen aka Buy Non-Organic:

These foods were shown to have less pesticide residue because they have a thick outer skin or peel which shields them from absorbing the chemicals that are used to control pests.

• Avocados
• Sweet Corn
• Pineapples
• Cabbage
• Sweet peas (frozen)
• Onions
• Asparagus
• Mangos
• Papayas
• Kiwi
• Eggplant
• Honeydew Melon
• Grapefruit
• Cantaloupe
• Cauliflower

When navigating the grocery scene and putting the effort into living a healthy lifestyle, it’s important to remember that you have options.