Paleo on a Budget: Don't Buy Organic

     The proponents of the Paleo diet will tell you that eating organic is key to being at the peak of health, and it's true, but what's worse: eating grains and junk food because you can't afford organic or eating non-organic Paleo foods?

    For us, it's more important to eat non-organic Paleo foods. We would love to eat organic, but we can't afford it. The fact is, we love feeling better from eating this way, so we do what we have to in order to continue to eat this way.

     There's also the middle way. This involves buying as much organic as you can afford, especially the fruits and vegetable that rank the highest in pesticide load known as the Dirty Dozen Plus. These include:

1. apples
2. strawberries
3. raspberries
4. blueberries
5. grapes
6. cherries
7. celery
8. peaches
9. pears
10. spinach
11. bell peppers
12. nectarines
13. cucumbers
14. potatoes
15. cherry tomatoes
16. hot peppers
17. kale/collard greens
18. summer squash

     We eat a few things from this list, including apples, blueberries, pears, spinach, bell peppers, cucumbers, hot peppers, kale, and zucchini on a regular basis. We always buy organic raw spinach, but our frozen spinach is not organic. We also always buy organic pears because they are more of a weekly treat than a daily fare,  and we try to buy organic apples whenever possible because we eat those almost daily.

     On the other hand, there is a list of fruits and vegetables that rank lowest in pesticide load known as the Clean 15 Plus, and these can be eaten without concern for how they are grown. They include:

1. mushrooms
2. sweet potatoes
3. cantaloupe
4. watermelon
5. grapefruit
6. kiwi
7. eggplant
8. asparagus
9. mangoes
10. papayas
11. frozen sweet peas
12. bananas
13. cabbage
14. avocados
15. pineapple
16. onions
17. corn
18. broccoli

     Unfortunately, corn is not Paleo, and should not be eaten, and peas are in the gray area, so if they are eaten, it should be only occasionally, and you should see how it makes you feel. We eat several things from this list as well, including: mushrooms, sweet potatoes, watermelon, kiwi, eggplant, mangoes, bananas, avocadoes, pineapple, broccoli, and onions.

     The choice is yours. You don't have to be perfect to follow this eating plan. There are few purists, and most of the Paleo community is pretty accepting when it comes to doing the best that you can in order to improve your health. The true joy of the Paleo diet is to make it fun, tasty, and above all doable.