non-organic fruits and veggies...

[charika]

Hi everyone,
I was just curious if anyone has been on the raw food diet for a period of time maybe in the begining of there journey and was only able to eat non organic fruits and veggies. I want to know if anyone has been able to experience the health/ energy/ and weight loss benefits of a raw food diet on regular or non-organic fruits and veggies. I'm a stay at home mom and not working right now and i can't afford organic fruits and veggies right now. My husband is not making a lot right now. This has been my main concern with doing the raw food diet. Will I cause more harm than good with eating all or mostly fruits and veggies with all the chemicals, pesticides, etc....
Thanks so much.
Charika

[Veganforlife]

Yes! I did until I recently (six months or so) was able to find an organic food co-op.
Just wash produce really well with a veggie wash. Peel others (don't eat the dyed, pesticide laden peels). You'll do fine. But if you CAN get organic. A lot of commercial grocery stores are now carrying them too.

[barose]

Personally I prefer to avoid the xenoestrogens in pesticides. I've had hormonal problems for most of my life and don't want to add on to it if possible.

For sure, I avoid the dirty dozen (list of the worst conventional produce), no exceptions---still 95%+ of the food I buy is organic. Since going raw I can really tell the difference between organic and non organic; especially since I've been eating mostly organic for several years now long before going raw.

When I first went raw, I purchased a lot of non organic, but found a lot of the food was tasteless *to me*. Not everything, but a lot. I switched back.

For your area, I'm not sure what other options you have in terms of finding affordable produce. Sometimes you can buy pesticide free produce w/o the certified label on it, but I only found those at farmers markets and produce stores.

[Coriander74]

I'd prefer to buy all organic but I can't afford it either. I'm doing fine on non-organic, but I scrub everything with a cloth and cold water.

[charika]

Thanks everyone for your replies and suggestions. Until our finances are better i will just peel and wash as much as possible. What is the dirty dozen? I've never heard of it. And where can I get a good veggie wash? I've never seen it or have even heard of it actually. I guess because I'm so new to this world. But is scrubbing with a cloth and cold water just as sufficient as the veggie wash?

[barose]

The Environment Working Group has a link to their website listing the worse foods to buy conventionally - meaning has the highest amount of pesticides. I tried to get on to the website, but it wasn't working right now.

Worst (try to buy organic if possible)
Peaches
Sweet Bell Peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Pears
Grapes (imported
Spinach
Lettuce
Potatoes

Cleanest 12 (lowest in Pesticides)
Onions
Avocado
Sweet Corn (frozen)
Pineapples
Mangos
Asparagus
Sweet Peas (frozen)
Kiwi Fruit
Bananas
Cabbage
Broccoli
Papaya

[exurb]

don't sweat it, no problem I say!!

First of all, everyone worries about the pesticide residue on their fruits and veggies, but it is often the meats that are delivering the worst quantities. Commercial grains also concern me, as 2,4-D is routinely sprayed on them.

http://www.sierraclub.ca/national/programs/health-environment/pesticides/2-4-d.html

Pesticides accumulate up in the food chain. So if you eat a steak from a 3 year old conventional cow that ate grains that were sprayed routinely with 2,4-D, you are dealing with a 3 year accumulation of those compounds. Some meat even keeps recycling it's waste and scrap parts and feeding it back to that animal. The chicken industry here when last I checked puts the remnants of the chickens into the chicken feed, so you could be repeating and repeating that cycle.

Vegetarian mothers have been shown to have less pesticide residue in their breast milk than their meat-eating counterparts.

To me, if you're eating low on the food chain you will be avoiding lots of pesticides as you go.

However, I would say be careful of the origin of your produce. I wouldn't eat anything that comes from China. DDT is still legal in China and India and Mexico.

Staying away from the dirty dozen is a good tip, also I would say ALWAYS compare organic and conventional when you shop, I have found sometimes they are the same price. I wouldn't eat non-organic spinach, strawberries at all.

Peaches while on the dirty dozen list, that test was done on them with the peel. I don't know if it is true, but I would think if you peeled them they wouldn't be as bad. I find it impossible to get organic peaches where I am, so I peel and eat conventional peaches.

[SmilingRawDancer]

I eat mostly non-organic, and I feel great :)
I just wash and peel almost everything - peaches, cucumbers, zucchini, etc, but there are a few things that I ONLY buy organic, smaller things like Berries which I buy frozen.

[barose]

Maybe its just me, but I cant imagine pealing a peach (or most fruit besides bananas and citrus) before eating it - even if it happens to be non organic. I eat on the go a lot (ie: stop by a produce store for a snack between errands). Do you all peel everything by habit?

[SmilingRawDancer]

No, it's a conscious choice...but I don't really eat peaches on the go. They're always a slice or blend thing for me, so I wash, peel and slice/throw in the vitamix.

But I take apples and carrots to school with me, so I just wash the apples REALLY well and pray. And I buy the baby carrots organic.

[tanawana]

I'd suggest learning to eat raw and being able to sustain it before you even start to worry about organic. It's tough enough for most getting the basics down. Through time you will gravitate towards organic when and where you can get it or afford it.

I eat organic when I can find it or afford it. I do it mainly for taste. When your taste buds start tasting again you will eventually notice even the subtle differences and there is nuthin' like it :D

[StarFire]

Jes finishing up my 4th month and I've done fine and lost weight eating non organic. Of course I would love to be able to eat organic but find it can be very expensive. So I weigh the difference - eat RAW foods even if I buy it from a grocery store and it's not organic.. or eat a SAD diet....

blechhhh... no comparison!! lol!! ;) RAW FOR ME!! :D I pray over my food and wash it the best I can. I buy organic when I can and believe that someday - I will be able to buy ALL ORGANIC!!

don't sweat the small stuff... do the best you can ~ relax in the knowledge that you are eating WAAAAY Healthier than ever before! :D

[145ish]

I'm doing good and I buy both organic and non-organic. Wash everything, water is better than a veggie wash no sense in adding coal to the fire. Wash it even if it says that it has already been washed. Peel anything waxed like apples and cucumbers. Organic stuff is pricey but watch the prices on organic stuff...sometimes they can actually be the same price or cheaper. I buy orgaic stuff that I eat the most of like apples, carrots, and tomatoes. Those are my staples so I splurge on those...the rest of the stuff I eat is not organic.

Eating raw non-orgainc is better than cooked food. So go for it, take your time, and enjoy the process.

[charika]

WOW! What great information and adice. Thanks so much. I feel sooooo much better. I didn't want to let not being able to afford organic stop me from going raw and now I know I don't have to. I'm also glad I'm aware of the worst non-organic fruits and veggies... Nice to know I'm not alone. Thanks guys.
Charika:)

[Rawkinlocs]

Hi Charika, I just posted this in another thread where a similar question was asked...so this is a re-post:

If you CAN buy organic, then get what you can organic but if you cannot (cost, availability, etc.) then you do the very best that you can. One thing about eating raw, it will give your body even more of a fighting chance. We are exposed to toxins all around us, in the air, in water (unless you're going to try and weed through all the conflicting info about what type of water is best and invest in expensive pumps, etc. too), environments on our jobs, in clothing stores, and more!

We don't live in a perfect world and none of us lives in a bubble. So, yes, you may get exposed to toxins in pesticides from eating conventionally-grown produce however, again, if you are eating raw fruits and veggies and eliminating cooked food from your diet, your body will be in a better place to more readily get rid of any toxins you DO become exposed to whether it's from conventional produce or whether it's from other things as I mentioned previously.

I know some very STRICT raw fooders (Natural Hygienists and Fruitarians) who have both told me that organic is sometimes very overrated. I've had someone mention an article to me but I can't recall right off who that was or where the article came from, but it was very interesting to say the least. The Frutarian told me that he NEVER buys organic...but he is one of the healthiest, most vibrant people I know!

But yeah, please just do the best that YOU can do...if you can, do...if you can't, then don't let that stop you from eating raw and making you feel like it's all a mute point to even go raw if you can't do organic because that is not true at all.

[the_lab_rat]

If there are farmer's markets where you live, check them out because they often have organic produce for MUCH cheaper than grocery stores. Also if you have a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's keep an eye out for sales because you can often get organic things for the same price or less than non-organic. Actually Trader Joe's around here tend to have really super cheap prices on organic fruit even w/o the sale. Co-ops are another option, if there are any in your area.

[Dj 247]

There are really so many reasons to buy organic. The reason that I try to buy organic is that I want to support the organic farmmers. But, sometimes its hard to pay double the price or more. :eek:

[Nurse in the Raw]

Co-ops are the answer to expensive organic produce especially if you buy in bulk and freeze.