Organic vs. non-organic?

Today I got an email from my health club, 24 Hour Fitness, with a great article about organic vs. conventionally grown food. Here's a link to Natural Wonders: The argument for organic foods.

This week I am house sitting with my friend Emily and there is a Vitamin Cottage nearby. So we are going grocery shopping today at VC and will see how our grocery bill compares when we buy all organic food.

One very interesting part of the above mentioned article I would like to highlight is "Avoid the Dirty Dozen." These 12 fruits and veggies have been identified and named "The Dirty Dozen" by consumer safety advocate Environmental Working Group, due to high levels of toxic chemicals when grown conventionally. Many experts recommend eating these foods only when they are organically grown:

• Apples
• Cherries
• Grapes, imported
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Pears
• Raspberries
• Strawberries
• Bell peppers
• Celery
• Potatoes
• Spinach

Since I can only eat canned peaches and pears, I need to find an organic canned variety of these fruits. Maybe VC will have something? They do have organic Santa Cruz applesauce which is hands down my favorite brand. It tastes the best and they don't add any sugar. And I've tried a lot of different brands of applesauce!

-Andi