January 8th, 2010 by Lee Bradshaw

I picked up this article on the counter of a local credit union. I thought that it might be of interest.

Have you heard of the “dirty dozen”? They are the fruits and vegetables that test highest for pesticide sprays. Top of the list is Peaches. My suggestion is to plant a peach tree! I have three. Here are the others in the top 12 to buy organic or grow yourself, whenever possible:

Peaches                                 Cherries

Apples                                   Kale

Bell Peppers                        Lettuce

Celery                                  Grapes

Nectarines                          Carrots

Strawberries                       Pears

Spinach has moved down on the list, out of the to 12, which is nice. sometimes I get taken to task by those who buy ONLY organic produce for not being a purist on the topic.

Here is what I have to say about that: if you can afford to buy all organic, that is EXCELLENT! Go for it. But I am above all trying to bridge the gap here for the majority in the middle, who have to balance health concerns with budget restraints. I always say, remember  (a) that animal protein and proccessed food have higher pesticide concentrations than conventioal produce, and (b) almost all the studies documenting the powerful effects of fruits/vegs in our diets were using CONVENTIONAL produce. Therefore (c) don’t avoid eating produce ( and eat something else) because you are afraid it may it may not be organic, but (d) wash your conventional produce well using a good fruit/veg wash.

Here is the bottom 13 of the produce ranked by the Environment Working Group examining 87,000 studies by the FDA and USDA between 2000 and 2007. These would be produce I would feel more comfortable about buying conventional and washing well:

Broccoli                     Sweet peas (frozen)

Watermelon             Papaya

Eggplant                  Cabbage

Kiwi                          Asparagus

Mango                     Pineapple

Avocado                 Corn

Onions                   Tomatos

May I make another summertime suggestion: before you cot up your melon, rinse the rind before cutting it up, because the knife slices through the pesticide-coated rind, and those chemicals end up on your fruit.