I recently posted about the 2021 Dirty Dozen list and how this has helped guide me for years as far as what produce to buy organic and where I can save the moolah. I feel like fruits and veggies are somewhat straight forward otherwise. Organic (in my opinion) is best so you know they haven’t been just covered with toxic pesticides and you know you’re not getting GMO. No other guess work is really involved here. When it comes to your pantry, things get a bit more complicated.
Organic, while still great, does not automatically equal healthy. Please remember this. Organic cookies are still cookies. Sometimes the ingredients are better, but you may still find 18 types of “organic sugar” lurking in the package. They can reel you in with the glimmer of that fancy certified organic label, but you still need to be an advocate for yourself and make sure you know what’s happening beneath the surface. Here’s another recent post about why looking at the ingredient lists of processed items is your new favorite thing to do at the grocery store.
Once you have hopped on the organic is good bandwagon, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Especially with the higher price points. Easing yourself into this new way of shopping is typically best so you don’t spend $700, freak out, and then stop the whole process. Here are the items in my pantry that I personally always buy organic:
- Oatmeal. A few years back EWG.org released news that high levels of glyphosate (an herbicide linked to cancer by the WHO) was found in several tested conventionally grown oats*. As if we don’t have enough to worry about as parents, right? It pissed me off. I had been buying steel cut oats for years. I knew better than to buy the packets and thought I was making the right breakfast decision. Alas, farmers need to douse their crops in Roundup to turn a profit easier and then keep that little nugget of toxic information to themselves.
- Granola Bars. Guess what most granola bars contain?? OATS!!! Ding ding ding! So that lovely dose of Roundup that’s apparently covering the oatmeal also is on those granola bars we all grew up eating. Hooray! If you’d like to save some money, buy the organic oats and and make homemade granola bars. There are a million different recipes and they are beyond easy!! So much cheaper than forking out for the organic ones.
- Granola and Cereal*. Oh how I wish just one breakfast option for kids could not be laced with pesticides, but apparently it’s not to be. Cereal comes from oats. Buy organic, or make your own homemade granola. It’s so good as a cereal substitute and you get to control the amount of sugar! P.S…..kids will adapt. You’re not a bad parent for not buying them the cinnamon roll or marshmallow cereal.
- Raisins. Grapes are on the Dirty Dozen list just about every single year. Sooooo…. I buy organic grapes, raisins, and grape jelly.
- Canned Tomatoes and Sauce. Tomatoes are consistently on the Dirty Dozen list. So, all canned versions should be organic as well. To save yourself some money, get used to making your own tomato-derived staples such as spaghetti sauce and pizza sauce. I start both of these by simply opening a can of organic tomato sauce and then adding a few seasonings. It’s so simple & keeps you from doling out the big bucks for organic jarred sauces.
- Taco Shells or Tortilla Chips. Corn is one of the most common GMO crops*. Now listen, corn-derived substances (corn syrup) is in a toooon of processed foods. You should go on a scavenger hunt of your fridge and pantry and see how many items you can spot with this ingredient… and then never buy it again. But, we’ll save more on that for another post. The point here is that corn taco shells or chips (if not organic) are most likely made from a GMO crop. Educate yourself and determine if you’re comfortable eating this “food”. I buy organic as by law if labeled USDA Certified Organic, the crop can’t be GMO*.
- Salsa. Salsa is almost entirely tomato-based, so I stick to the organic version.
- Chick Peas. Yet another study on weed killers in our food turned up the noise on non-organic hummus and garbanzo beans*. Hummus is so easy to make if you invest in a nice food processor. These satisfying peas are also great when roasted as a snack or added to a salad. However you use them, get the organic variety.
- Canned Corn. If you don’t want to be a guinea pig with the GMO craze, shell out an extra $.50 for the organic corn.
- Chicken Broth. I don’t buy all of my meat organic, but I do always buy organic chicken. Every other month or so, I will roast a whole chicken and then make my own broth. I get about 8 cups from it and freeze it in mason jars. If this isn’t your journey, at least spring for the organic.
- Popcorn. If you’re buying microwave popcorn, stop. The liners in the bags have chemicals that are known carcinogens*. Buy organic whole kernels (again because of the GMO thing) and then pop it yourself on the stovetop with a little bit of coconut or olive oil, or get a hot air popper. Both ways make it more fun for the kids as they can actually see the popping happen.
I offer this information not to overwhelm, make you feel guilty, or like you need to spend hundreds of dollars on food each week, but simply to help and hopefully motivate you when making food decisions for yourself and your family. It’s frustrating. I totally get it. Every time I see another one of these studies, I groan. Food shouldn’t be this hard but hopefully with more knowledge, there will come a demand for transparency and change. I also believe that taking a pro-active approach with our food (and maybe spending a little more now) will save us in health care charges in the future. Look at it as an investment. You are investing in your health, in your kids’ health. You are choosing which companies are worthy of your hard-earned dollar and which ones you won’t be making richer as they make you sicker. Food impacts your health on every single level from physical to mental. If you do only one good thing for yourself each day, let it be to fuel your body. Just as you can’t put mud in a car and expect it to run, you can’t fill yourself with junk and expect good results. You’re worth better.
*Sources:
Roundup on Oats: Breakfast With a Dose of Roundup? | Environmental Working Group (ewg.org)
Roundup on Cereal: Roundup for Breakfast? Weed Killer in Landmark Cancer Verdict Found in Kids’ Cereals, Other Oat-Based Foods | Environmental Working Group (ewg.org)
GMO Crops: What GMO CROPS are grown andsold in the U.S.? (fda.gov)
GMO Labels: How to spot genetically-modified groceries – MarketWatch
High Levels of Bayer’s Weedkiller Found in Hummus, Chickpeas | Environmental Working Group (ewg.org)
Popcorn Bags: Microwave Popcorn Cancer: Does it Really Cause Cancer? (healthline.com)
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