I buy more organic than not, but when I do buy conventionally grown produce, I'd like to do it without feeling like, "here's my daily dose of pesticides." A couple months ago, I was excited to see in Martha Stewart Living two photos: the 'dirty dozen' and the 'clean fifteen' : what to buy organic & what isn't an organic-must respectively. These lists were compiled by the Environmental Working Group. One their site they say: "An EWG simulation of thousands of consumers eating high and low pesticide diets shows that people can lower their pesticide exposure by almost 80 percent by avoiding the top twelve most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the least contaminated instead."... pretty amazing. Food for thought...
The Dirty Dozen
(buy organic!!)
Peaches, Apples, Bell peppers, Celery, Nectarines, Strawberries, Cherries, Kale, Lettuce, Imported grapes, Carrots, Pears
The Clean Fifteen
(least pesticide residue when grown conventionally)
Onions, Avocados, Corn, Pineapples, Mangoes, Asparagus, Sweet peas, Kiwifruits, Cabbages, Eggplants, Papayas, Watermelons, Broccoli, Tomatoes, Sweet potatoes
QUESTION FROM CARA: kate, what about the veggie wash at trader joes. Does that work to wash off pesticides?
ReplyDeleteKATE'S RESPONSE:Hey Cara, after a bit of research, I've found that I wouldn't recommend a veggie wash. Sounds like it's best just to use cold water. The efficacy of veggie washes is uncertain, and my main concern is the pesticides already in the food rather than on the outside. Check this out for more info: http://www.enviroblog.org/2008/01/ask-ewg-how-should-i-wash-my-fruits-and-veggies.html. Good luck!!