What's the lowdown on buying organic? It's pretty hard to tell, with the mixed messages we are getting as consumers these days. The definitive study, though, tells us that not only is organic more nutritious, but it is better for the ground water and soil.

A few facts on organic foods:

• they contain up to 90% more antioxidants than conventionally grown food
• they've got higher levels of minerals
• as cancer-fighters, they win the race

Seems as though we should always buy organic, with those stats. Due to availability -- and our budgets! -- buying everything organic may not be an option, and if we're looking to do a real service to the environment, buying what's available locally is a better choice.

Jackie writes of eight foods that we should buy organic, since the pesticide loads are so sky-high. Dr. Mercola expands this list to these 12 foods:

• Peaches
• Apples
• Sweet bell peppers
• Celery
• Nectarines
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Lettuce
• Grapes (imported)
• Pears
• Spinach
• Potatoes

Now, for the budget-saving tricks. Here's a list of 12 produce items that are safest to buy conventionally grown:

• Broccoli
• Eggplant
• Cabbage
• Banana
• Kiwi
• Asparagus
• Sweet peas (frozen)
• Mango
• Pineapple
• Sweet corn (frozen)
• Avocado
• Onion

So do it, but avoid buying GMO foods by checking the labels. The PLU code of a GMO item is a 5-digit number starting with 8. Organics start with 9, and conventionally grown produce has a 4-digit code.

By balancing organics with low-pesticde conventionally grown produce, you'll save money and probably buy more locally grown produce, and knowing how to avoid GMO foods is a helpful trick, too.