Everyone loves to eat potatoes, but do you eat organic potatoes?
If you are able to eat a fully organic diet it is a wonderful opportunity. But many people are not able to sustain due to cost. Organic food can be a bit pricier depending on where you shop, if you cannot get items on sale, and prices vary greatly from organic item to organic item.
For instance, organic goji berries are going to be extremely expensive versus buying a bag of organic potatoes in bulk. Many times, supermarkets will have bags of organic potatoes in bulk for $3.99 or less.
Skipping out on some organic fruits and veggies is ok. However, there are a handful of produce items that you always need to buy organic no matter what. Some of the items include strawberries, grapes, and of course, all types of potatoes.
In this post, we are going to take a further peek into why you should always buy organic potatoes. And this is whether or not they cost more or less than their conventional counterparts.
Trust us, once you know what’s lurking on the conventional potatoes, will want to stick with organic potatoes for a lifetime.
The Issues with Conventional Potatoes
So, just why are conventional, or non-organic potatoes, so bad to buy and eat? There are a few key reasons:
- A study found that there is an average of 35 different pesticide residues on the outside of conventional potatoes.
- Since potatoes are a root veggie, they absorb all of the pesticides sprayed near them. Even though they grow underground, the pesticides will work their way down through the soil and contaminate the potato.
As you can see, when you are eating a conventional potato, you are also eating all of the chemicals that were sprayed over the potatoes as well. Since potatoes only have thin skin, it is also highly porous. The pesticides and herbicides leach their way all the way down into the potato flesh.
This means it does not matter how well you wash the potatoes or if you use a produce wash to clean your potatoes. You can never rinse off all of the chemicals once they have worked their way down into the flesh of the potato.
It’s Best to Always Buy Organic Potatoes
By buying and eating organic potatoes, you will avoid the issues we discussed above. When potatoes are grown organically, farmers are not allowed to spray pesticides and herbicides as in conventional farming. Organic farmers have two options. They will either not spray at all or they may choose to use an organic “pesticide” option that is safe for humans and animals.
Organic potatoes generally taste better as well and are far superior in nutritional value. They have more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants in them, so you are eating something healthier and better for your body on a few different levels.
In the end, choosing organic potatoes is the way to go and does not cost terribly much more then buying regular potatoes. If you can buy organic potatoes from a local farm, when they are on sale at the grocery store, or better yet, grow them yourself, you are well on your say to saving money and staying healthy at the same time!