12 Fruits & Veggies You Definitely Want To Buy Organic - The Dirty Dozen

The Environmental Working Group releases their Dirty Dozen list.

USDA tests found a total of 230 different pesticides and breakdown products on the thousands of produce samples analyzed. Tests show that there are stark differences among various types of produce. The Shopper’s Guide lists the Dirty Dozen™ fruits and vegetables with the most pesticide residues, and the Clean Fifteen™, for which few, if any, residues were detected.

Key findings from this year’s guide:

• More than one-third of strawberry samples analyzed contained 10 or more pesticide residues and breakdown products.
• More than 98 percent of samples of strawberries, peaches, potatoes, nectarines, cherries and apples tested positive for residue of at least one pesticide.
• Spinach samples had, on average, almost twice as much pesticide residue by weight compared to any other crop.
• Avocados and sweet corn were the cleanest. Less than 1 percent of samples showed any detectable pesticides.
• More than 80 percent of pineapples, papayas, asparagus, onions and cabbages had no pesticide residues.

Remember – it’s vitally important that everyone eats plenty of plant foods high in phytonutrients.  My advice is to spend your money wisely and buy organic for those on the dirty dozen list.  However, save yourself some money and buy conventional produce for those on the clean 15 list.

Pesticides and Fertility

Two recent studies from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found a surprising association between consuming high-pesticide-residue produce and fertility problems among study participants.

Pesticide That Causes Brain Damage in Kids Detected on Produce

The neurotoxic insecticide chlorpyrifos, which can harm children’s brains and nervous systems, is applied to apples, bell peppers, peaches, nectarines and other produce.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was slated to ban all uses of chlorpyrifos on foods in early 2017. But EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt reversed course after Dow Chemical, which manufactures the chemical, complained. The American Academy of Pediatrics and EWG urged Pruitt to reconsider his decision, to no avail.