Buying Organic

I buy organic at every opportunity.  I cannot afford to buy all my foods organic, so I have to be selective.  I watch prices and look for sales.  There are certain foods I ONLY buy organic....celery, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers (any kind)....fruits and vegetables that have no 'shell' or hard covering that is removed are 100% vulnerable to pesticide penetration.  Fruits like watermelon and cantaloupe have a hard shell, therefore they are better protected...even so, these should be washed off good, and use a vegetable wash to rinse away any chemical residue before cutting.  I always buy organic milk, yogurt and eggs, and cheese and cottage cheese and butter when I can.  When it comes to meats, I rarely buy ground beef, as I do not have a connection to that particular meat in a hormone-free, antibiotic-free or organic type readily available.  Most ground chicken and chicken can be purchased without the hormones and antibiotics.  And turkey, ground and in other forms is typically a safe choice.  I do have some cuts of red meat, (i.e. round steak) available in the hormone-free, antibiotic-free option...and I purchase these on markdown and use immediately.  In cooking for our dogs, it is just as important for them to have the top quality of food as we would feed ourselves.  Our precious furkids are susceptible to many of the same diseases we get, especially cancer...and many of these foods, even though they're healthy can be not so when we over-consume ones that are grown with the use of chemicals and pesticides our bodies were not meant to breakdown.  This puts a stress on our immune system...same for our canine companions.  Prevention is key...it is much easier to avoid disease, such as cancer, than it is to treat it.  I will be doing further research, specifically on cancer in dogs and will be posting my findings in future blogs.  This is a very prevalent disease arising in the canine community, and in my opinion needs further research to find ways to prevent it, and I truly believe proper and top quality nutrition is the first step.