GOING ORGANIC THE SMART WAY

There are many well meaning people who want to go organic but the apparent cost of doing so is so ridiculously high, that people are quick to dismiss this option. I remember how I used to march out of wholefoods shops outraged and indignant. Ohhh these pretentious people with money raving about their chia seeds and goji berries and quinoa and spirulina and other weird sounding foods. Yes. It is all super healthy. But what is the point if a large section of society cannot afford it? But the good news is that with progression of time, more options have become available which are relatively cheaper. So, in this post, I just want to share some alternative sources of organic produce which I have come across till now and some smart ways of doing it.

Further, there are ways to “phase” into buying organic. Or if you cannot afford to go 100% organic, you can always choose the “hybrid” option and yet substantially reduce the harm done by pesticides. It involves a bit of research and continuous monitoring but is it so unreasonable to spend some time on something as important as your health? Also, you will have to spend some additional money than usual so the first step can be to determine the extent by which you can stretch your food budget.

The Dirty Dozen: The dirty dozen is a list of vegetables/fruits with the highest amount of pesticides residue issued annually by Environmental Working Group (EWG) based on the pesticides residue tests conducted by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) scientists. It is strongly recommended that you buy these foods organic. The list is updated every year and the latest list which was issued in 2013 contains the following vegetables/fruits:

Apples (89)

Strawberries (82). This is a picture of how they grow strawberries. Make your decision:

Grapes (43)

Celery (85)

Peaches (100)

Spinach (60)

Sweet bell peppers (86)

Nectarines (84)

Cucumbers

Potatoes (58)

Cherry tomatoes

Hot peppers

'An apple a day keeps the doctor away'. Of all the fruits in this world, apple is always associated with 'going healthy'. When people decide to start eating healthy, first thing that they say is 'OK, I am going to have an apple everyday'. Little do they know! The FDA tests different vegetables and fruits and rates them on a scale of 100, 100 being the worst. Apple was rated at 89. Having a conventionally grown apple everyday is going to fast bring the doctor to your door step. The numbers in brackets besides the above foods represent the rating. As you can see, peaches are the worst.

The Clean 15: This is the list of vegetable and fruits with relatively less amount of pesticide contamination and hence you can save money by buying conventionally grown produce for these items.

Onions

Sweet corn

Pineapples

Avocado

Cabbage

Sweet peas

Asparagus

Mangoes

Eggplant

Kiwi

Cantaloupe (domestic)

Sweet potatoes

Grapefruit

Papayas

Mushrooms

Besides the above items, the following items in my opinion should be bought organic if you can:

Milk – A high amount of antibiotics and hormones are used in the animals in conventional dairy production. There is nothing more to say – really.

Coffee – Coffee is a very competitive industry and a lot of chemicals, processing and taste enhancers are used in its production to cater to the taste buds of the increasingly demanding coffee drinkers. Also, the countries from which these coffees come from are not regulated for pesticides and chemical usage.

Grains: Grains have been found very low in pesticide residue so there is an opportunity for saving money by buying conventionally grown grains. But there are few exceptions to this. Soya and Corn are notorious for being produced using genetically modified farming methods. In many countries the labeling requirements are not stringent and hence there is no way to know whether the corn or soya is GMO or non GMO. In case of such ambiguity it is better to avoid these products and opt for organic. This means avoiding non labeled, conventionally produced soya beans, soya flour, tofu, miso, tempeh, soya sauce and anything that is produced using soya bean. I have noticed that many vegetarians in the west consume high quantities of soya related products as a substitute to meat. But there are many other sources of high protein like different types of lentils, beans, sprouts, nuts, seeds and it is okay to buy conventionally grown produce for these items. Another exception is rice. Research indicated that relatively higher amount of pesticide residue was found on rice because rice grows in stagnant water.

Sourcing: So now, we have a fair idea of what to preferably buy organic. Now, we identify the sources. As far as wholefoods shops are concerned, there are two types. The ones which have a strong 'pretentious' energy where people with money frequent so that they can appear cool and the ones which are owned and run by people who genuinely care about their health and nature. I prefer the later but it is worthwhile checking both types for the purpose of price comparisons. Another option is of course, the supermarkets. Though not an ideal option, they are able to sell whatever tiny percentage of organic produce they have at lower prices because of economies of scale. I am confident that in time as awareness about organic food increases, the variety of produce available in supermarkets will increase and the prices will go down. Also, keep looking for deals. Many times you get huge discounts on organic food in the super markets and the pretentious whole foods shops.

Another great option is organic co-operatives. Usually organic co-operatives are a group of individuals and families who come together and pool their resources to gain buying power. Buying in bulk helps them get discounts which are passed down to the members. These stores are owned and managed by members and majority of the staff working in such shops are volunteers cutting down costs even more. Almost all of them are not for profit and many times they also source their produce from the small local organic farmer thus eliminating middle men. Another way in which they cut costs is selling loose hence cutting down on packing costs.

Next option is identifying small local organic farmers. When I lived in Queensland, we had identified a local organic farmer who used to deliver the produce himself at no additional cost every Monday. He used to deliver the produce 4-5 hours after he picked it from his farm – very fresh and alive! Many times such small farmers might advertise on the internet. Or if you find a wholefoods shop in your town, ask the person working there where they get their produce from and then approach the farmer directly. You can also identify small organic farmers at open markets. Which brings me to the next option – home grown produce. If you visit any of the farmers markets, many times you find country folk who may not necessarily be farmers but who grow vegetables at home and they show up at the markets to sell their excess produce. They do not follow the stringent requirements which make their produce 'certified organic' but it is still good enough and most of them do not spray their produce with pesticides or chemicals. You can always ask the farmers about how they grow their produce and decide accordingly. And I think home grown produce has one advantage over 'certified organic' produce which is grown for commercial purposes – it is grown with love.

And last but not the least, the most fulfilling way of accessing organic food is – growing your own. If you have your own backyard or front yard or whatever piece of earth you have around your house, use it to grow veggies and flowers. It is a very enriching and enlightening experience and it will transform you. It will help you cultivate patience, gratitude, calmness, compassion and it will teach you many many lessons. I just feel that it is magical to witness the natural phenomenon of a plant growing out of a seed up close. If you do not have your own land, check if there are any opportunities for 'land share'. Land share is an arrangement which brings together people owning a spare piece of land but do not have time to grow their own produce and people who do not own land but are willing to grow their own. People with spare land let people interested in growing use their land in return for home grown produce. So, if you don't own land, check on the internet if you have any land share arrangement near your area. If none of these options work, get small pots and start growing simple things like herbs (very easy to grow) and greens.

The last thing which I would like to share is home made vegetable wash solution. You need white vinegar and a spray bottle. Fill the spray bottle with three parts water and one part vinegar and voila! you have home made vegetable wash solution. Spray it on your produce, rub it in gently and leave it for ten minutes before rinsing it off. Apparently, this solution helps reducing the impact of pesticides and kills of most of the bacteria. Use it generously on conventionally grown greens.

In countries with colder winters, it is possible that you will not find many different varieties of seasonal vegetables or fruits in organic stores. This may prevent you from having a balanced diet and it may become difficult to include necessary nutrients in your diet. In such cases, in my opinion it is much better to eat conventionally grown produce by buying it locally or in farmers markets than eating supplements (unless you have a deficiency) which are produced in factories using machines. To me, it does not make complete sense. Do you think Mother Nature said “Ok children, I have given you everything you need nutritionally except the humans will have to create companies which will set up factories consisting of machines and labourers/workers to produce supplements.” Yes, people may argue that Mother Nature did not intend for humans to create factories producing pesticides and fertilisers either. But to me, eating vegetables and fruits seems more closer to nature than eating supplement tablets of white, pink yellow or whatever colour they come in.  

So why eat organic if you can avoid it? There are other concerns which are bigger than your own personal health like ground water contamination, imbalanced ecosystems and soil erosion. But that is a subject for another discussion. For now, why not research the above options in your area and slowly phase into buying organic, if time and money permits.