When you walk into a grocery store, you may be daunted by the scintillating green flags that stick out amongst a sea of produce. At a health foods store, you may wonder why “conventional” food is only given such a small amount of shelf space. This could cause confusion, but before you question every decision you’ve made in life, or consider whether you have become a “hipster” by refusing the “conventional,” it is important to recognize that organic food is vital for everyone.

I admit it—on weekends I can be seen pulling into the lot of my favorite health foods market, River Valley, with my post-work-out hair flying and a yoga mat in a trunk plastered with a “Life is Good” bumper sticker. I drink almond milk instead of cows’ milk and I would rather eat quinoa than Easy Mac; however, I wasn’t always this way.

The switch to organic food was a challenge. Telling a sweet-toothed pre-teen to try homemade carrot and kale juice or quinoa pasta instead of Oreo cookies or vanilla yogurt is an endeavor that will assuredly end with some eye rolls. However, I have now become “that friend” who lectures about why the ingredients of a granola bar aren’t actually as healthful as they sound.

The switch to better eating can be challenging at first, but adaptation is inevitable. The most important lifestyle change a person can make is pursuing a diet of primarily organic produce. Making the switch to organic is not as daunting as it may sound. You do not need to choke down kale juice against your will. Instead, you can swap the ingredients in your cupboards with organic versions—still enjoying your favorite homemade delicacies.

Okay, now you are thinking, “Why on earth would I switch to organic food when I can buy equally tasty food for less money?” Here is where the juicy information comes in (pun intended).

Organic food is defined by organic.org as produce “grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetically modified organisms, or ionizing radiation.” Additionally, “Animals that produce [organic] meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products do not take antibiotics or growth hormones.”

If not eating sewage sludge in your salad isn’t reason enough, the benefits of avoiding pesticides and GMOs are. Faculty member and organics-lover Ms. Mantegna states, “[Organic food] is expensive but so important. I have read a lot about the harms of GMOs and pesticides and herbicides. If these chemicals can kill living organisms [plants, insects, animals], how is it possible that they have no effect on us? I say it’s not and so do many studies.”

She adds, “The FDA is not to be trusted. It is run by former CEOs of food industries who make legislative decisions based on money and influence, not the health of the consumer.”

Conventional food is less expensive for farmers to produce and consumers to purchase, but it has negative impacts on the health of both parties. An organics enthusiast, senior Nick Pattison states, “I know several people who have worked on farms that use pesticides and fertilizers. These people say that they’ve gotten blisters from picking oranges… pesticides really have an impact on farmers, too. If farmers use pesticide sprays on their crops, then the air will be toxic to breathe, posing a threat to their health.”

According to epa.gov, “The health effects of pesticides depend on the type of pesticide. Some, such as the organophosphates and carbamates, affect the nervous system. Others may irritate the skin or eyes. Some pesticides may be carcinogens. Others may affect the hormone or endocrine system in the body.”

A Willistonian acquaintance states, “You can pay for [organic food] now, or you can pay for it later [in health and healthcare bills].” Exposure to pesticides is linked to increased risk for cancer and other diseases, and is also linked to the increasingly premature hormonal development of children and adolescents.

A commonly given reason for not eating organic is the higher cost of organic produce. Pattison states, “Unfortunately, not all people in our country have the ability to get to organic food. Often, impoverished people can only buy the cheapest product – and that is often highly processed, inorganic products. Although [people] may have the ‘access’ to [organic] products, they do not have the means, money, or ability to [purchase them]. Therefore, a rift is transforming our food system.”

Organic food is pricier than conventional food; however, before you sell your house and inhabit the nearest cardboard box, it is important to recognize the magnitude with which small changes impact your health.

Two tools for making small changes: the Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen.

The Dirty Dozen comprises the top twelve most toxic and pesticide-laden fruits and vegetables. For those who can only make small changes due to monetary constraints, these fruits (listed below, from most toxic to least toxic) are the most important to replace. The Dirty Dozen, according to food.yourway.net, includes apples, celery, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, grapes, hot peppers, nectarines (esp. imported), peaches, potatoes, spinach, strawberries, and sweet bell peppers. Kale, collard greens, summer squash, and zucchini are also listed as harmful.

The Clean Fifteen is composed of the fifteen cleanest conventional foods. If shopping selectively, these foods would be fairly safe to purchase in the inorganic section. The Clean Fifteen, also from food.yourway.net, includes asparagus, avocado, cabbage, cantaloupe, corn, eggplant, grapefruit, kiwi, mangoes, mushrooms, onions, papayas, pineapples, frozen sweet peas, and sweet potatoes.

An additional technique for shopping well centers around the surface; fruits and vegetables with peels are generally less toxic than those without, since their surfaces are less permeable. Bananas, for example, take the brunt of pesticides into their peels, not the actual fruit. Grapes and berries, on the other hand, are porous and may therefore be more toxic.

Now that you know the benefits behind those scintillating green flags, empower yourself to venture into the “hipster” side of the grocery store on your next adventure with a grocery cart whose wheel only turns left.