Organic Coffe

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I have been researching healthy/clean eating. I have gone through the lists of the dirty dozen, the 7 scary ingredients and when to buy organic or not. I am just trying to gather information and make the best choices for me. There are so many opinions and those opinions change daily.

The one thing I am trying to sort out now is coffee. I already decided that I want to drink coffee daily- (if it is unhealthy then it's my 20% of the 80 -20 rule)

I have not really heard much about organic coffee until I started this research.
So here where I am at

One set of information- say anything that you consume daily you should buy organic - makes sense
another reason to go organic is that coffee is in the top five the most pesticides crops in the world - didn't know that

Now the other side is - although high pesticide it "all" doesn't enter the coffee bean itself because of the hard shell. - ok
It doesn't contain growth hormones such as cattle and fowl that cause such great concern.

So I am confused - I was wondering if anyone has any other information that would help me. One reason for not just going organic is the cost. I am trying to put my dollars to the best use with my healthy choices. Should coffee be a priority because I drink it everyday? This would not include the occasional Starbucks

Replies

  • farewell_friend
    farewell_friend Posts: 41 Member
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    You most definitely should aim to consume an all-organic diet. It doesn't just benefit you-- it benefits the environment, the workers, and the animals. If you really can't afford organic coffee, then at the very least make sure it's fair trade. Because if it isn't, then you can be most certainly sure that your coffee was produced with slave labor. The same goes for chocolate (and a lot of other stuff, actually).

    I'll tell you now, I bought a bag of organic (fair trade and locally-roasted) coffee last Sunday, and it was the best tasting coffee I ever had. No joke. Then again I cold-brewed it in a french press so maybe that had an effect on it.

    If you have the time and haven't yet, I highly recommend checking out Dr. Mercola's website :)
  • snazzyjazzy21
    snazzyjazzy21 Posts: 1,298 Member
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    Just a note that Dr. Mercola has been repeatedly warned by the FDA to stop making illegal claims about his 'health' products. He's about as reliable as Dr Oz, as far as medical knowledge goes.

    You don't have to buy organic coffee if you don't want to, it wont effect your health. Due to the thick flesh and how the beans are processed and roasted, the residue from any pesticides would be minuscule, if any. However, supporting more local growers, if possible, is nice and some organic coffees have a much richer taste, IMO.
  • earlybrd7
    earlybrd7 Posts: 56 Member
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    I'm a big supporter of organic foods, so I definitely think it's worth paying extra for organic coffee (something I drink everyday also). It doesn't surprise me that coffee is heavily sprayed with pesticides. I just recently saw a program on TV of a group of researchers that did a study on pesticides in tea, and it turns out that there's actually much more than the legal limit. I don't imagine coffee would be any different.
    Purchasing organic coffee will also help support organic farmers and growers. It's better for the environment and it's better for your body :)
  • lobster888
    lobster888 Posts: 861 Member
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    Thanks for the responses - I have been drinking it for the last two weeks and I think I am going to try to and switch to it permanently. I purchase some from Whole Foods. There is some cheaper fair trade coffee at Sam's - may have to go with that on those tight budget month.
  • FitWendi
    FitWendi Posts: 40 Member
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    I am switching to an all organic diet too. I love my morning coffee. I used the flavor creamers. I need an organic alternative. Any recommedations. Or what do you use??
  • sistrsprkl
    sistrsprkl Posts: 1,013 Member
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    Yes, I try to always buy organic, fair trade & shade grown coffee whenever possible. Not so much for health benefits, but for the environment and encouraging good labor practices. I eat maybe 50% organic but coffee is a priority since I care about the industry... I love coffee!