"conventional" news and stories

By now we've learned the drill: organic is best. However, not everyone has the budget required to switch totally to organic foods. Thankfully Dr. Andrew Weill has put together a list of 11 fruits and vegetables that are OK to buy in their conventionally grown form. In alphabetical order, the list is as follows: Asparagus, Avocados, Bananas, Broccoli, Cabbage, Corn, Kiwi, Mangos, Onions, Pineapples and Peas.

I'm guessing that most of these items are on the list because they have fairly burly skins or peels that protect them from absorbing too much in the way of pesticides. I'm a little stunned that broccoli is on the list as I would have thought that its many little flowers would happily soak up problematic chemicals.

But, on the flip side, you might be wondering exactly what produce is best to buy organic? The Environmental Working Group has created a guide that can be printed out in handy wallet guide form. Check out our gallery of these 12 foods that really are the best organic investment.

So there it is. Consider yourself slightly better informed about buying organic than you were five minutes ago.

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Have you ever wondered what those PLU (price look up) codes mean on the stickers that come affixed to your fruits and vegetables? The folks over at Sprig.com have put together a video that walks you through the basics of how to read the codes. When the code is printed with just four digits, it means that you are holding a conventionally grow product. Organic products have a five digit code that always starts with the number nine. Genetically modified produce also has a five digit number, but it always starts with the number eight.

Now you can tell with just a glance if the apple you just picked out of the bin is conventional, organic or GMO. This is particularly handy for those times when the display has gotten a little messy and you can't tell exactly where one pile ends and another starts.

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