When shopping for your family, you should consider that per pound of body weight, babies consume about 60 times more fruits and vegetables than adults. This fact combined with undeveloped digestive and immune systems, put young children at the greatest health risk for pesticide residues. To minimize the effects, you might consider buying organic for those foods that your children eat regularly.

Produce: Pesticides levels vary in produce. Here is a list of common fruits and veggies that are high in pesticide residues*. Because of the naturally high levels, you might consider buying organic for these foods:

Apples
Bell peppers
Celery
Cherries
Grapes (imported)
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Potatoes
Red Raspberries
Spinach
Strawberries

On the flip side, these fruits and veggies are commonly found to have the lowest levels of pesticide residues*

Asparagus
Avocados
Bananas
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Corn (sweet)
Kiwi
Mangos
Onions
Papayas
Pineapples
Peas (sweet)
*Source: The Environmental Workers Union

aThere are five labels you may see on your supermarket shelf. They include 100% organic, Organic, Made with Organic Ingredients, Free-range/Cage-free, and Natural. Pretty self-explanatory right? Maybe not as much as you would think….

100% Organic
This label on produce means the fruit or vegetable was grown completely WITHOUT synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. Meat or dairy products wearing this label ensures that all the USDA stipulations concerning hormones, feed, and time spent outdoors were met.

Organic
This type of produce or meat doesn’t meet the standards of products labeled “100% Organic”, however the majority of its ingredients have been approved for organic use by a nationwide certification organization called the National Organics Standards Board

Made With Organic Ingredients
Foods with this label let consumers be assured that the item is made with no less than 70% organic ingredients and rules.

Free-range/Cage-free
This is a term that can be used for poultry but not for eggs and is very unclear on the rules of time spent outdoors as well as the quality of feed. Poultry can be considered at different levels of organic quality and still be in this category.

Natural
This label can only be used for meat and poultry and states it was raised and sold using no artificial coloring, chemical preservatives, or ingredients. There’s no certification process that meat or poultry producers must comply with in order to place the term on their labels.

As the organic market grows you will begin to see more products on your supermarket shelf. Many experts hope that with the increase in products that the UDSA will become stricter on their qualifications and clearer so that the consumer can easily understand what they are buying and consuming.

Organic food means different things depending on the product. Organic produce (fruits and vegetables) are grown without the use of conventional pesticides, artificial fertilizers or sewage sludge, and without ionizing radiation, bioengineering or food additives. The same concept as planting an apple tree in your backyard, and doing nothing but watering it and then picking the apple off and eating it. Organic fruits and vegetables also lack genetically modified organisms or altered DNA.

For meat, dairy, eggs and poultry it means animals reared without the routine use of antibiotics and without the use of growth hormones. Thes products have no additives to make them richer or fattier, they are naturally farmed and raised. Like organic produce, organic meat, dairy and poultry lack the genetically modified organisms that non-organic foods contains.

Fresh or Processed
Organic food can come both fresh and processed. with most fresh foods being seasonal and higher priced than non-organic foods. Often they are easier found at a farmer’s market or specialty grocery stores. Consumers worried about effects on their pocket book can price shop to find the best prices in their area. Fresh organic fruits and vegetables are likely much easier to find than fresh meat and dairy products.

Processed organic food is more commonly found at the neighborhood supermarket Processed organics often come from large conglomerates that produce food in larger quantities. Processed organic foods usually contain organic ingredients without artificial food additives, and are processed through fewer artificial methods.

When shopping for organic foods, keep in mind you will find most of it near the produce. Organic fruits and vegetables largely out number the meat and dairy organic choices in neighborhood grocery stores. Trouble identifying organics? Try the one under the higher price tag!

Baby Food
One popular organic item hitting the shelves is organic baby food. Baby food sections now include almost as many organic selections as non-organics. It is becomming more common for new parents to be concerned about added preservatives and artificial flavors when they start feeding baby. These concerned new moms and dads are choosing organic baby food for their little one. For more on organic baby food see our article by clicking here.

Consumers
It is believed that most of the pesticides infants and young children come in contact with come from non-organic baby food,non-organic fruits and vegetables. These products are treated with pesticides, artificial preservatives and other additives. Studies show that simply by replacing your non-organic foods with organic you can decrease the risks of pesticide levels dramatically. There has been much controversy over the safety of pesticides, leading to many families choosing organic produce for their home.

Environmental
Organic foods are also beneficial for the environment. Organic produce is not treated with pesticides, reducing the chemical levels released into our environment. Some pesticides can be harmful to animals and humans in or around the area. Organic farms also sustain a more diverse ecosystem without chemicals that potentially may kill plants, insects and other animals. Organic farms also conserve more energy and produce less waste, as they do not dispose of packaging for additives.

Producers
The lack of pesticide use on organic farms has huge health benefits for workers. When used correctly, pesticides get into the air, and are then breathed by workers. Resulting in medical conditions including abdominal pain, dizziness and headaches. Some believe long term exposure to pesticides contribute to cancer in some patients.

While organic foods are still in their infanthood, all of the long and short term benefits are not known. One would be pressed to argue the obvious fact that lack of pesticides and artificial additives make organic foods a better choice for ones’ family. Many families opt for organic foods, despite the slightly higher costs, feeling it is safer and healthier for their children and loved ones.

The effects of pesticides on the health of a young child are not fully known at this time, but the brain of the developing child is probably at risk. It certainly seems prudent to reduce the amount our children are exposed to. One way is by using organic fruits and veggies.

Organic produce is getting easier to find in regular supermarkets as the demand and production increases. Still, it’s often two or three times as expensive, and the choices are likely to be limited. One way to bring organic into the reach of your budget is to take up organic gardening. Even just a few cherry tomato plants can make a big difference in the overall amount of toxins you ingest.

It might be impossible to buy all organic fruits and vegetables. If you can’t, try to go organic for at least those fruits and veggies that tend to be loaded with pesticides. The top offenders among fruits are peaches, apples, strawberries, nectarines, cherries, pears, and imported grapes.

Among veggies, watch out for bell peppers, celery, spinach, lettuce, and potatoes. The twelve foods just mentioned are called by some the “Dirty Dozen.” Buying these foods as organics can eliminate the bulk of pesticides from your diet. The next most contaminated vegetables after the top dozen are carrots. Since we tend to use carrots frequently, you might want to opt for organic ones, especially if you use them in juicing.

Safest selections among non-organic produce include onions, frozen corn and peas, broccoli, cabbage, kiwis, bananas and pineapple. (Data was determined by the Environmental Working Group, a non-profit agency.)

What about washing produce to remove pesticides? Washing helps to remove substances like bacteria, but don’t trust washing and peeling to get rid of the pesticides. Studies have shown that the residues work their way into the very cells of the fruit or vegetable.

Don’t forget about your non-diet exposure to pesticides. Use simple natural insect repellents in your home. If you have a serious insect infestation, there are bait-type insecticides that are much safer to use than sprays that go everywhere. And just forget about those bombs. They leave residue on everything in your house

Your Baby’s Health
Many parents do not want to introduce their baby to the pesticides and artificial preservatives that are put in fruits and vegetables. They want their baby to be as healthy and pesticide free as possible, and are determined to only give their baby the best. Tests have shown that the pesticides do show up in children and decrease immediately when a child is switched from non-organic fruits and vegetables to organic fruits and vegetables. Long term health benefits are still unknown, but immediate health benefits are high and enough to sway many moms and dads to give their baby organic foods from the start.

Where To Start
Most parents start their children out on rice cereal from the baby food isle. For those that make that choice but want baby food for their baby that is pesticide free, they can choose to start with organic rice cereal. If you are really adventurous you can attempt to make your own organic rice baby food by purchasing organic rice, cooking it per the directions, blending it with breast milk till desired consistency, and serving it to your baby. You can even freeze it in ice cube trays and store it in plastic baggies till you are ready to feed it to your baby.

Organic Fruits and Veggies
After your baby has learned to eat and swallow the baby cereals and it is time to move onto the jarred baby foods, you still have lots of choices in the organic department. There are organic jarred baby foods in all the different stages. Your baby can start out with organic peas, carrots and sweet potatoes for the organic vegetables and organic bananas and apples for the fruits. Organic fruits and vegetables taste the same as the non-organic fruits and vegetables and give your baby a healthier alternative to the already healthy baby food he has begun to eat. As your baby moves up in stages the food changes and more organics are added. As your baby begins to eat table food you can choose organic fruits and vegetables for your table.

Organic foods are the new in “thing” for many families. While they are often a little bit more expensive than your non-organic food, having it available on the supermarket shelves is not only welcome, but convenient.