Organic produce, meats, and other foods are often better quality than their non-organic counterparts.

Oftentimes, the organic and non-organic foods will not defer by much, especially if the food does not require any pesticides to grow.

However, there are some foods that we recommend you should generally buy organic for their quality and taste. 

1. Wine 

According to the Electronic Working Group’s (EWG) Dirty Dozen list of fresh produce in the U.S., grapes are the eighth dirtiest produce in terms of pesticides used.

Wine can be fermented with high levels of pesticide residue since wine is often made with unpeeled grapes. 

Generally speaking, winemakers who are committed to their craft will produce organic wine. This means that organic wines are not only pesticide-free but also sulfite free.

While there is a debate between wine enthusiasts for how much sulfite is acceptable and how much sulfite makes the product better or worse, there is no denial about the negative health effects of sulfite. 

The simplest way to avoid pesticides and sulfite, while being able to enjoy a refreshing glass of wine is to simply buy organic. 

2. Coffee 

Around the world, 12 billion pounds of coffee beans are produced annually. Due to the high volume of coffee produced and the fact that coffee beans are grown in tropical areas means that coffee beans require heavy pesticide use to grow.

Conventional coffee is among the most heavily chemically treated foods within our normal diet. 

The average person in the United States will consume 3 to 4 cups of coffee per day. With this high volume of average consumption, coffee drinkers should seek organic options that do not use synthetic fertilizers or pesticides.

Organic coffee drinkers enjoy a richer product as organic fertilizers produce a better tasting product. 

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3. Apples 

As the saying goes: an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Apples are an excellent source of fiber and other vitamins.

This nutrient-packed food, however, ranked very high in the high pesticide residue score done by the Environmental Working Group. 

Apples are a very popular fruit worldwide. In order to keep up with the demand for apples and because of their shape, which creates a concave structure for the pesticides to seep into the core of the fruit, pesticides are readily found on and within apples.

Buying organic apples is the easiest way to avoid pesticides and still receive the many nutritional benefits of the fruit. This also applies to apple products such as applesauce and apple pie, as well. 

4. Dairy

The dairy industry, in the United States, is a $37 billion industry. With products ranging from milk, cheese, yogurt, and butter most, Americans will consume dairy on a daily basis.

With how much and how often dairy is consumed, it is best to reach for the organic options in the dairy aisle. 

Further, cows that produce milk on an organic dairy farm means do not receive synthetic growth hormones and antibiotics. Certified organic dairy cows will only consume organic feed.

Besides the fact that organic food tastes better and it reduces the amount of cancer-causing chemicals that enter your body, there are plenty of other very good reasons why you should buy organic food. Here are just a few:

Organic Meat Comes From Healthier Animals

The animal from which you got your meat is guaranteed to have been healthy throughout its life. Why? Part of the criteria governing organic products is agreeing not to use antibodies to treat an illness.

Animals that are raised with the ultimate goal of being organic are raised in more humane conditions (as outlined by the United States’ Humane Society).

These better living conditions result in healthier animals and healthier animals simply are less prone to illness and disease.

Of course, nothing can guarantee an animal will never become ill, and occasionally one will require antibiotics to cure an ailment.

When this situation happens however, the animal that was treated with the antibiotics must be removed from the organic farm.

The affected animal loses its organic status and is usually sold to a conventional farm where it lives out the remainder of its life.

Buying Organic Is A Form of Protest

When you buy organic food, you’re basically making a statement that you care about what you’re putting into your body. So much is happening to our food before it enters the supermarket.

We hear about it, yet we do nothing to stop it. If you ever took a few moments to think about all that food is exposed to, from start to finish, the details likely would boggle your mind.

Sure, all that perfectly-shaped produce and meat look enticing, but those perfections are the end result of growth hormones, genetic engineering, and an abundance of pesticides and fertilizers.

You’ve probably heard the saying, “Nature is not perfect” countless times, yet time and again you continue to reach for that perfect tomato.

When you buy organic, you are in effect saying you don’t want to be part of that scene any longer. When enough people buy organic, and more are making the switch every day, food companies will be forced to listen to consumers.

It’s Something You Can Do to Protect the Environment

The chemicals that go onto the fields that produce the fruits and vegetables you eat and that feed the cows and pigs that turn into your hamburgers and pork chops contaminate the soil and the water.

This affects the animals that live off the land and it also contaminates the environment. When you choose foods that are produced without these cancer-causing chemicals, you are not adding to this problem.

Your purchases likely won’t put an end to environmental damage, but as with all things in life, change begins with one person.

Get a few friends to change their buying and eating habits, and then have them get a few friends to change and soon enough, a sizeable impact will be in the works.