We’ve been blessed with a high school intern for the summer.  Her name is Cristina Valentin & occasionally she’ll be our guest blogger.  This is the first in her blog series… Welcome Cristina!

Foods are being grown & processed in ways that alter our well being in the worst ways.   With that in mind, here are five foods worth spending the money on & buying organic.

• Meat – Cattle, that are not raised organically, are fed grains that are sprayed with pesticides, and whatever they’re eating and getting into their bodies, we ultimately get into ours when we ingest their meat. Buying organic meat means that those cattle are fed organic grains, which means no pesticides, as well with no hormones.

• Dairy – Any type of by-product from cattle (as well as chickens) will contain pesticides, even if they were raised solely for the by-product.  The cattle are also full of hormones, which help them produce more milk than a dairy cow would naturally produce.  These additives could cause weight gain, acne & constipation.

• Coffee – In the countries where coffee beans are grown, there are no regulations on the use of chemicals and pesticides.  Look for the USDA Organic label to ensure you’re not buying beans that have been grown or processed with the use of potentially harmful chemicals.

• Grapes – Grapes have very thin skin & when sprayed with pesticides, it’s impossible to get all the chemicals off because they go directly into the fruit itself.  And, even if the pesticides were only on the skin & you removed the it, the skin contains all the antioxidants that grapes are known for.

• Nectarines – Like the grape, nectarines have thin, porous skins that no amount of washing can rid of pesticides.  As well, when tested, the nectarine was found to have 26 types of pesticides.

However, fear not!  If buying organic is not within your budget, buy fruits like avocado, mango, pineapple & watermelon, which have thick skins & naturally protect themselves from insects (& pesticides).  As for vegetables, eggplant, asparagus, cabbage & sweet pea are less likely to face pests, which means less pesticides.

Remember, you are what you eat, so eat healthy, natural, safe foods!

Written by Cristina Valentin for Green in BKLYN