Organic

Living chemical-free seems like a luxury — after all, those organic products tend to be pricier. But is it worth the cost? Beth Greer, an environmental health consultant and the author of Super Natural Home, warns that the chemicals can "act as endocrine disruptors — substances that interfere with our natural hormones." This may lead to the worsening of conditions like allergies and asthma and other symptoms like fatigue, nausea, and headaches. Prolonged exposure may even lead to more devastating health problems.

For those who are resolving to start living a more chemical-free life this year, Greer has some budget-friendly tips on how to make the change:

• Switch it up. "Start with the foods and products you use most often and switch out just one in each category. For example, if you drink milk, switch to organic milk (without pesticides and growth hormones); switch just one lipstick to a natural one; choose a natural deodorant."
• Try the farmers market. "Because eating organic is so important, try shopping at farmers markets. You can find some great deals there, especially just before it closes. I've seen broccoli for $1 per lb, for example. Farmers don't want to have to bring unsold food back to their farm. Or try planting your own garden, which is very economical and fun."
• DIY it. "Make your own products you use in your home. Now, this isn't as hard as it sounds. For example, I use baking soda as a deodorant. I fill up a salt shaker, shake some in the palm of my hand, and apply on my armpits. It works really well, is inexpensive, and nontoxic."
• Make your own nontoxic natural cleaning products. "Try vinegar, baking soda, and hydrogen peroxide. You can find recipes in my book Super Natural Home."
• Remove your shoes at the front door. "Shoes track in lead, pesticides, and other pollutants, which contaminate our carpets and floors. Stuff we track in from the outside can turn our home into a toxic place, especially for pets and young children who spend more time on the floor."

Read on for more tips.

Buying organic for all the items on your grocery list can flatten your wallet by the time you leave the store. And while organic has its health benefits, it's not necessary to go this route on everything, especially if price is an issue. When deciding what to buy and what to skip, always make sure to stick to these three items when buying organic.

• Meat: Always aim for the organic option when purchasing meat. In modern farming technology, animals are injected with hormones to grow, antibiotics to fight diseases, and pesticides in their feed. In order to meet the USDA standards of organic, an animal must be free of hormones and antibiotics and fed on organic feed. The same goes for dairy products; because it's a derivative of an animal, shoot for organic here, as well. When shopping for meat and poultry, look for "grass fed" or "free range" labels. Although it can be a bit pricier, this meat is usually leaner and contains more minerals, vitamins, and omega-3s. For a cheaper option on organic meat, buy in bulk from a local farm or farmers market.
• Dirty Dozen: You may or may not have heard of the Dirty Dozen, a list of the top 12 produce items that have the largest pesticide and chemical residue; these are the fruits and veggies you should definitely purchase organic. Certain fruits and veggies that come into direct contact with these chemicals are more prone to contamination because they either don't have a thick enough peel or are lacking one, like kale.
• Beans: Not to be confused with legumes. I'm talking about the other type of black beans: coffee beans. Look for the "certified fair trade organic" label when purchasing a bag for your morning cup. Most other labels do not have regulations on pesticides or chemicals. Additionally, fair trade means the workers distributing the beans are justly compensated, have health care, and are provided housing for their families.

Breast may be the best, but for some mamas, it's not an option or supplementing with formula is a must. I found I wasn't able to produce enough breast milk with my lil one, so I resorted to formula to keep up. My gut was to reach for organic, but to be honest, I wasn't sure it was any better than regular formula.

Organic formulas can cost up to 30 percent more than their nonorganic counterparts, and those extra dollars can bust the budget. Though going organic is the popular thing to do, is it the healthiest option for your tot?

A recent Dartmouth study found traces of arsenic in organic baby formulas that include organic brown rice syrup, a common sweetener in organic formulas, leading many moms to stop buying and start reading the ingredients. Often in top-selling organic brands, sweeteners, such as organic sugar, are found within the top five ingredients — but not in nonorganic blends. Of the 17 organic formulas tested in the Dartmouth study, two organic infant formulas listed brown rice syrup in the ingredients, one milk and the other soy-based, and both had arsenic readings 20 times greater than the others.

While the findings have some moms taking matters into their own hands and making their own homemade infant formula, not all of us have the time, or the skills, to toss together our own. So given the choice, do you pay the extra cost for organic or stick with the basic formula?

The 2012 Dirty Dozen — the Environmental Working Group's annual list of the produce that contain the highest levels of pesticides — is out, and the results will have you running for the nearest organic market.

Once again apples top the list of produce with the most pesticides; the group says of all the apples it tested, 98 percent had detectable levels of pesticides. Celery was the second-most contaminated, followed by sweet bell peppers, peaches, and strawberries.

The group also added a new warning about kale, collard greens, and green beans; while it said that these didn't make the Dirty Dozen cut, many tested were contaminated with "highly toxic" insecticides called organophosphates.

Read on to see the full Dirty Dozen list and learn how to make your own produce wash!

With all of the information overload about the state of our current agriculture system, sometimes it's hard to keep the most basic rules straight. Whether you've been buying local produce for some time or you're finally getting serious about avoiding all the crazy pesticides, the Environmental Working Group makes it its job to inform people about which produce is best organic and where you can skip and save some extra dough.

The EWG compiled two lists: Dirty Dozen, which you should always buy organic, and Clean 14, where conventional will do just fine Some of the picks on each list may surprise you! Keep reading to learn the lowdown on pesticides and produce.

On Thursday, the Oakland, CA-based Center For Environmental Health (CEH) filed a suit against 26 cosmetic companies, claiming the beauty brands have been misleading the public with their misuse of the term "organic."

Even though the California Organic Products Act of 2003 states that any product with an "organic" label on the front must consist of 70 percent organic ingredients (and those with less than 70 percent organic ingredients can only use "organic" on the ingredients list), the CEH discovered that many were in direct violation of the act. (See the full list of claimed offenders here.) Find out what else was discovered when you keep reading.