To eat organic or not to eat organic?

Since I've made this commitment to myself to take better care of myself, I need to know what I should and should not eat, right? Sure, eat real food's a given, as well as fruits and veggies. Where it gets tricky is knowing whether or not I should eat organic fruits and veggies.

Ok, so why do people eat organic foods rather than others? Answer: pesticides. Pesticides disrupt the endocrine system, which in turn causes the metabolism to 'malfunction'. This is why pesticides help lead to obesity.

Now, you know as well as I do that organic food is NOT CHEAP. Because of this, I want to share the foods that should only be eaten organic: THE DIRTY DOZEN

Apples.
Bell peppers
Celery
Cherries
Grapes(imported)
Lettuce
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Potatoes
Spinach
Strawberries

Luckily, other fruits and veggies have less pesticide residue, so they don't necessarily have to be organic to consume. These foods have either a thick skin or natural insecticides that protect them from pests without chemicals. These foods are known as the CLEAN FIFTEEN.

Asparagus
Avocado
Cabbage
Cantaloupe
Corn
Eggplant
Grapefruit
Kiwi
Mango
Onions
Pineapple
Sweet onions
Sweet peas
Sweet potatoes/yams
Watermelon

These are great lists to know, and if there isn't an organic option for an item on the dirty dozen list, I should always swap it out for an item on the clean fifteen. Will have to remember this about bell peppers, since I seem to eat them a lot, and didnt realize that they were on the dirty dozen!!

I hope you find this helpful as well!