Holistic Approach to Wellness
The Environmental Working Group is out with its annual “Dirty Dozen” guide to the conventionally grown produce most likely to be contaminated with pesticides. For those folks including myself who believe deeply in eating organic foods for health reasons and can’t find always find everything organic, this is a helpful guide to keep on hand. The general rule is anything “porous” like berries can take in pesticides. Also important to know is if you are cleaning your fruits and veggies to address pesticides, remember the toxins are inside the fruits and veggies as well as the outside so it’s not as effective as you think.
Industry opposition to the “Dirty Dozen” list implies that EWG is trying to discourage people from eating fruits and vegetables. The group, however, insists that its guide is best used by consumers who want to avoid pesticides, but can’t necessarily afford to buy all-organic — the list highlights which products to focus on, while its counterpart, the “Clean Fifteen,” highlights produce less likely to be contaminated. Avocados topped that list: only percent of samples had detectable pesticides.
“The bottom line is people do not want to eat pesticides with their fruits and vegetables,” EWG president and cofounder Ken Cook said in a statement. “That’s why we will continue telling shoppers about agricultural chemicals that turn up on their produce, and we hope we will inform, and ultimately, empower them to eat cleaner.”
EWG is an amazing resource worth checking out.
The complete lists, below: