The Baker’s Dozen

As we are all most aware of there’s what’s called the Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen. The EWG updates this list every year to help consumers buy the best raised produce. The Dirty Dozen is simply the most contaminated produce, as far as chemicals, pesticides and insecticides. It helps those on a budget buy the produce on the dirty dozen list organic, which tends to be more expensive, while saving money on items from the Clean Fifteen list (less contaminated and safer).

Well, I thought that those who love baking should have a similar list. So I researched those products you want to buy organic, while saving your cash on other items where there’s less of a health risk. The truth is we’re all on a budget, or at least I am, so if there’s some food items I can get away with buying non-organic, while not compromising my health, I tend to go for the cheaper item. If I know an item is health threatening, or treated with chemicals, additives and contains GMO’s, I always try to find the organic alternative or non-GMO, even if it means dishing out a few extra cents or dollars.

The Baker's Dozen, the products you want to chose organic when baking those sweets Share on X

Here’s my list: The Baker’s Dozen – those items needed for baking that I recommend buying organic.

1. Flour – Why? Well wheat is one of the leading crops grown with genetically modified organisms (GMOs), behind corn, soybeans, cotton and canola. If you are going to use whole wheat flour, look for organic and unbleached. Costco actually carries a great brand at a reasonable price. Or buy bulk which is always cheaper. Most, if not all, wheat has been bleached and contaminated with chemicals and genetically modified to make it pest resistant. Organic whole wheat and unbleached flour is best. While flour has been striped of any of it’s nutrients and then bleached, and who eats bleach?
2. Sugar – First, always stay away from the white stuff. I chose raw cane sugar, organic. It’s brown in color and hasn’t been stripped and bleached. Organic ensures it was sustain-ably raised and not chemically produced. White sugar is grown with herbicides and pesticides,  while raw organic cane sugar is minimally processed and doesn’t have the molasses stripped out.*Do know that organic sugar still undgergoes some processing, because the FDA finds that pure, raw sugar has too many impurities. Again you find raw organic sugar at Costco.
3. Cocoa Powder – This all comes down to how the cocoa was processed and grown. Organic farming is more sustainable and better for the environment and our health. Really cacao powder is best, because it’s cold pressed keeping the living enzymes, while cocoa powder is heated destroying most of those enzymes. Cacao is the purest form of chocolate. Cocoa powder still retains alot of antioxidants and is still healthy if you buy it without the fat and sugars.
4. Oils – From olive oil to coconut oil and everything inbetween, always buy organic. Olive, grapeseed and coconut oil should always been unrefined and virgin. Unrefined oils have not been bleached or deordorized. Extra virgin olive oil is cold pressed oil and the most nutritious, no heat or chemicals are part of the process. Organic ensures there are no chemicals used in the growing and production of the oils.
5. Eggs – Important for most in baking, unless your vegan. Cage free and organic eggs are best, and typically brown in color. Conventional eggs have been treated with hormones and the chickens raised in inhumane ways, eating animal feed and fed corn.
6. Baking Powder – If you don’t buy this organic, at least look for aluminum free. Most won’t say it has aluminum, but most baking powders do contain aluminum, which has been linked to cancer and Alzheimers. Organic will ensure there is no aluminum. Trader Joe’s has an aluminum free baking powder and it’s not expensive at all. You can make your own baking powder using cornstarch, baking soda and cream of tartar as well.
7. Milk – Dairy products are used in baking frequently. I think most of us know that most milk is treated with growth hormones and from cattle fed corn, instead of grass fed cattle. There’s a difference in taste. I grew up with milk straight from the cow, and it tastes so much richer and less watered down. I also didn’t have to worry about any added hormones and additives.
8. Butter – This goes along with milk. Organic butter is going to be better than conventional butter. You don’t have to worry about chemical additives, and it’s healthier with higher fat content (healthier fat when coming from grass fed cows).
9. Vanilla Extract– This can be pricey, but pure vanilla extract is richer in flavor and the cultivating is different, hence the price tag. If you are making something like custard, pudding, or delicate cake, a pure variety is better because the vanilla stands out more, whereas with cookies and muffins it’s so subtle and hardly noticed. Imitation vanilla is just what it is imitation!! I personally always get pure, and not always organic.
10. Food coloring – This is on the list, because you shouldn’t use food coloring. The dye is one of the worst things for our health and especially for young children. I avoid any products that use food colorings and artificial coloring in the form of Blue 1 & 2, Red 3 & 4, Citrus Red 2, Yellow 5 & 6 and Green 3 commonly found on food labels such as cereal, crackers, M&M’s, granola bars, and most candies. There are natural ways to dye frosting and cakes if need be, from using beet juice to matcha green tea. Here’s a great link to natural food dye or just check out Pinterest.
11. Honey – I always buy my honey local, even if it’s not organic. I can ask my local farmer how it was processed and grown. Always buy unfiltered and unheated honey, raw. I love local honey, because it’s great for allergies and it’s always better supporting local farmers. Buying conventional honey puts you at risk of consuming honey from china (in which 1/3 of all honey is from China) or has the pollen removed in 70+% of the time. Honey has medicinal properties, and without the pollen this is all striped and it’s not honey.
12. Maple Syrup – Pure maple syrup is best, that’s all there is too it. If you have ever read ingredient labels for syrup, such as Ms. Butterworts, there’s typically no maple syrup even in the product, instead it’s just corn syrup and water. Pure maple syrup is dark and rich, with a flavor that can’t be beat and actually has nutrients.

The Baker's Dozen - When to Splurge on organic baking items and when not too? #nutritionchat Share on X

Check out Thrive Market for a list of some great baking items at at cheaper price. It’s a great online site, where you pay a membership much like Costco and you can find some great healthy items for baking, snacking, cooking and for home and health care at much lower cost than most grocery or department stores. I love this site!!

Until Next Time Be Whole and Be Fit