(onion - lowest pesticide load)That time of year is upon us when our diet significantly changes to eating more fresh fruits and vegetables. I thought that this was a good time to review ranking of fruits and vegetables that are exposed to pesticides. I think that this way you can make priorities and you don't necessarily have to go out and buy all organic but you can choose non-organic from the list of fruits and vegetables that are not subjected to as many pesticides. It's also a good idea to talk to your local farmers and see if you can find a local organic CSA or at the very least talk to your local farmer about the amount of pesticides that they use.
Once again it is the Environmental Working Group that is putting out this study, but I found the information via my Warren King Newsletter (if you have not already signed up for your Warren King newsletter you can do so by clicking here). His newsletter and website are filled with terrific information -- or maybe not so terrific, depending on how you look at it, I am just reading about Soy products (upcoming post-just collecting more information).. and I am surprised by his report! But back to Fruits and Vegetables...
The good news is that it seems in urine tests on children that upon eating conventional fruits the pesticides show up but after just days of moving to Organic fruits the pesticides disappear. But what is NOT tested is the long term effects of these pesticides on the organs and bodily fluids.
To quote Warren Kings report:
-When children are exposed to toxins, there is more time for resulting damage to occur than when adults are exposed. To elaborate, if a series of events have to occur before the toxic effects of chemicals present, then it is more likely that those events will occur someday if the children are exposed early in life as opposed to exposure much later.
-Due to the rapid cell growth in children, they appear to be more susceptible to some carcinogens than adults are.”
Because of such concerns, the Food Quality Protection Act required that by 2006, the EPA was to complete a comprehensive reassessment of the 9,721 pesticides permitted for use. They were to determine safe levels of pesticide residues for all food products.
Even though this law’s passage resulted in a lowering of pesticide amounts applied to foods intended for children, many critics still consider the levels too high for safety. The other concern is that there are no restrictions on imported foods."
RANK FRUIT OR VEGGIE SCORE
1(worst) Peaches 100 (highest pesticide load)
2 Apples 96
3 Sweet Bell Peppers 86
4 Celery 85
5 Nectarines 84
6 Strawberries 83
7 Cherries 75
8 Lettuce 69
9 Grapes – Imported 68
10 Pears 65
11 Spinach 60
12 Potatoes 58
13 Carrots 57
14 Green Beans 55
15 Hot Peppers 53
16 Cucumbers 52
17 Raspberries 47
18 Plums 46
19 Oranges 46
20 Grapes – Domestic 46
21 Cauliflower 39
22 Tangerine 38
23 Mushrooms 37
24 Cantaloupe 34
25 Lemon 31
26 Honeydew Melon 31
27 Grapefruit 31
28 Winter Squash 31
29 Tomatoes 30
30 Sweet Potatoes 30
31 Watermelon 25
32 Blueberries 24
33 Papaya 21
34 Eggplant 19
35 Broccoli 18
36 Cabbage 17
37 Bananas 16
38 Kiwi 14
39 Asparagus 11
40 Sweet Peas-Frozen 11
41 Mango 9
42 Pineapples 7
43 Sweet Corn-Frozen 2
44 Avocado 1
45 (best) Onions 1 (lowest pesticide load)
Warren suggested that anything at a level of 28 or up (from sweet potatoes up) should be eaten organically -- I will certainly take this advice!
I think that this is a good list to follow and maybe it's a good idea to keep this list on your refrigerator to reference and keep as a reminder! (I certainly can't keep remembering this stuff!)
Happy eating this summer!
Visit Warren Kings website here.
click here for his full report on Pesticide Levels in Children
(peaches - highest pesticide load)
