Buy: Meat and Dairy
First, let’s define organic. This means the product in question is grown or engineered without the use of pesticides, contaminants, radiation, synthetic fertilizers and the like. This is especially important when it comes to certain foods like meat and dairy. Why?
“Hormones, pesticides and antibiotics,” says New York-based registered dietitian Jaclyn London. “Hormones given to cows have been linked to potential cancer incidence in humans, and the high doses of antibiotics that cattle receive have been linked to antibiotic resistance.”
Skip: Herbs, Spices and Condiments
You might find trace amounts of pesticides in herbs (and bulk items that contain them, like condiments and oils), “but [they're] too minute to pose any health risk,” says London. Since many organic herbs and spices can be expensive, and the proportions of contamination are so tiny, you’re better off channeling your money elsewhere.
Buy: Produce With 'Skin'
Produce with skin on the outside—think fruits and veggies like strawberries, celery and grapes—are more likely to latch onto contaminants you will eventually consume, so it’s safer to buy organic. (For a full list of produce to buy organic, see here.) “They are often referred to as ‘the dirty dozen plus,’” says London. “The produce with high, ‘exposed’ surface area leaves you more susceptible to consuming pesticide residues.”
Skip: Produce With 'Shells'
That said, there are plenty of produce items you don’t need to buy organic, including fruits or vegetables that come in their own protective shells or skins you must peel off before eating (avocados, mangos and onions, to name a few). “As far as a general guideline goes: The thicker the skin, the safer you are buying standard produce instead of organic,” London says. For a full list of nonorganic produce that's OK to skip, see here.)
Buy: Cookware
If your family’s food is going to touch it before you eat it, you should probably think about buying organic. London agrees with eco-expert Leslie Reichert about items like cookware and storage containers. “I would invest in very high-quality pots and pans,” she says. “I'm a fan of cast iron, and I also love very high-quality stainless steel. I believe that anything your food is touching should be the best and most natural.” The major key is something that is VOC-free or non-VOC (which stands for “volatile organic compound”), and does not contain things like aluminum or BPA.
Skip: Cleaning Products
“As funny as it seems, I haven't found enough support to justify buying organic cleaning products,” says Reichert, largely because many products earn their organic branding by passing through a few loopholes—and you can really recreate the cleaners yourself. “The ingredients in certified organic cleaners are mainly oils, certified vinegar, castile soap, baking soda,” says Reichert. “I have a chemist friend, who told me it would be better to just go out and buy a bottle of certified organic vinegar and use that.” Reichert also has a recipe for an organic cleaner in her book The Joy of Green Cleaning.
If you want to purchase, look for “safe, effective and eco-friendly,” not necessarily organic. “Organic really means that it has a combo of food products and castile soap that will not always clean as well as you would like,” she says.
Buy: Mattresses and Bedding
Whether it’s you or your child who will be sleeping on it, mattresses and bedding can be a dangerous place to regularly breathe in toxins. “I just made a huge mistake when I bought a foam mattress pad,” says Reichert. “I got so sick … just think of the chemicals that are off-gassing from a traditional mattress.” Her advice is to invest in organic, especially when it comes to your children. Fabrics like organic cotton are perfect for babies.
Skip: Skin Care Products
In the realm of beauty, there are two issues: 1) there is little monitoring over what’s being passed off as “organic” or “natural,” and 2) even organic products can wreak havoc on your skin. “Keep in mind that many essential oils may be organic, such as sandalwood, eucalyptus, peppermint and rosemary, and can actually be irritating,” says Dr. Elizabeth Tanzi, dermatologist and co-director of the Washington Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery in Washington, D.C.
So, at least until there’s more regulation and research about organic beauty products, this may be a good one to skip.
Buy: Paint
You know that strong smell that wafts through the room every time you repaint your walls? Those are chemicals you’re better off not breathing in, says Reichert. “I would recommend non-VOC paint,” she says. “There are some great ones out now, and what a difference it makes in the fumes when you are painting.”
Try Benjamin Moore or Sherwin-Williams for VOC-free options, or get even more eco-friendly. “There is actually an organic milk paint that bills itself as the greenest paint ever,” says Reichert. Free of synthetics, mercury, VOCs, petroleum by-products, lead, latex and plastics, Old-Fashioned Milk Paint is the first USDA-certified bio-based paint.
Skip: Anything Too Expensive
Here’s the deal, says Reichert: If the price of the “organic” item is outlandish, think twice before purchasing it. Some companies with great, eco-friendly products do not or cannot afford the cost necessary to become “certified organic.” So to keep prices affordable, they have passed on the certification, but that doesn’t mean they’re not wonderful, effective and safe natural options. It’s always best to research alternatives to expensive organic goods. “Just because a cleaner is certified organic doesn't mean it's the absolute safest,” Reichert says. “Some organic cleaners rated a 2 or more—1 is the safest—compared to non-certified that rated a 1.”
Above all, “I totally believe in buying what you can afford that is certified organic,” says Reichert. “Sticking with the dirty dozen plus when deciding what to buy organic is a great idea.”
