The 12 fruits and vegetables most plagued by pesticides
I will never forget the day my mom told me to wash the strawberries. Like a typical inquisitive 4-year-old, I asked, ‘Why?’ Because fruit pickers pick their noses was his reply. Then I washed them, sometimes.
Now, at 31, I buy organic, which must mean snot-free, and of course pesticide-free better. But as a medical student with a wife, two children and a mortgage, the wallet feels stress when buying organic produce.
Demand for organic produce has increased, especially in Seattle, which has brought the cost down a bit; but not enough during tough financial times.
So I am wondering which of the non-organic vegetables and fruits are the safest to eat. A watermelon looks hard, it has a large thick skin. A juicy, thin-skinned peach must be really tasty to insects, so growers must spray it.
Obviously, this reasoning is not foolproof and it did not reassure me when buying non-organic products.
To do? I enrolled in medical school, reached the second year of the nutrition course and found out which are the twelve fruits and vegetables most plagued by pesticides. Good plan Ben. $50,000 later, now I know what the twelve are.
Out of cash again, I needed to refresh my memory. By doing so, I thought that it could also benefit the public. This information is not new, but it can definitely be new to you.
So which are the most toxic? This information is gathered from FoodNews and they compiled the information from the Environmental Working Group.
Most Popular Fruits and Vegetables with Highest Pesticides
- apples
- Peppers
- Celery
- cherries
- Grapes (imported)
- nectarines
- peaches
- pears
- potatoes
- red raspberries
- Spinach
- strawberries
So my rationale for thin skin products was not all bad. I never would have guessed the potatoes though.
So what needs to be done? Not eating these sprinkled fruits and vegetables? quite. Definitely do not feed them to your children. The body mass of a child is much less than that of a fully grown adult. So it doesn’t take a lot of non-organic strawberries to potentially inflict damage on a little one. The best method is to buy these twelve organic. If you can’t, wash them with the pesticide-removing soaps that are sold in good stores. There will still be poisons harbored in the product, but at least lessened. You can also peel apples and other products with the skin, but then you lose nutrients along with some pesticides. Therefore, you can also go eat something made of plastic, since it is toxic and has no nutritional value. Organic is the best bet.
Spend your meager dollars buying these twelve organic fruits and vegetables, or keep them away from your kids.
Now that you’ve bought expensive organic strawberries, what are the safest non-organic fruits and vegetables?
Most popular fruits and vegetables with fewer pesticides:
- Asparagus
- Lawyers
- bananas
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Sweet corn)
- kiwi fruit
- Onions
- handles
- papaya
- pineapples
- peas (sweet)
To save you from typing all this, I have provided you with the option to view the FoodNews Wallet Guide [http://www.healthegoods.com/content/walletguide.pdf]. Cut out the guide and keep it in your wallet. Go shopping without having to guess. For those of you who want to know the details of the report of the Environmental Working Group on Organophosphate Insecticides in Baby Food, you can see it.
Enjoy your shopping without worries. If there is something that is on your mind, please let me know. I will do my best to answer your health questions.
In health,
Good
(c) 2005 Benjamin Lynch of HealthE Goods