The New York Times recently featured an article on the rising prices of organic food. Gas prices and foreign markets are having a drastic effect on our food market, forcing even the most devoted organic consumers to question their purchases. When faced with feeding a family and $5.99 per pound organic grapes the fact that many will ‘question’ this purchase may be too soft an explanation. It may be more likely that they will be forced to abandon organic choices for their conventionally grown counterparts. Budgets are important, but so is your health. To be a budgeted organic consumer you may choose to split your choices, choosing some organic and some conventionally grown versions.

Now for the good news, there are some fruits and vegetables that don’t rank as high on the pesticide scale. Which conventionally grown fruits are vegetables are the safest? The following list offers fruits and vegetables that you can afford (speaking from a health perspective) to buy the "conventionally grown" versions:

• onions
• corn (frozen)
• avocado
• pineapple
• mango
• sweet peas (frozen)
• asparagus
• kiwi
• bananas
• cabbage
• broccoli
• eggplant

The nonprofit organization Environmental Working Group regularly examines pesticide levels of various commercially grown produce. According to their most recent list, the following fruits and vegetables are the ones most likely to be contaminated. So it’s definitely in your best interest to try to switch to organic versions of these items:

• peaches
• apples
• bell peppers
• celery
• nectarines
• strawberries
• cherries
• lettuce
• grapes
• spinach