Pesticides and Produce

Environmental Working Group (EWG) recently published a ranking of produce according to levels of pesticide contamination.

The list of the "dirty dozen" ranking from highest to lowest (number 1 containing the highest level) is as follows:

1. Peaches (1)
2. Apples (2)
3. Sweet Bell Peppers (3)
4. Celery (4)
5. Nectarines (5)
6. Strawberries (6)
7. Cherries (7)
8. Pears (8)
9. Grapes (imported) (9)
10. Spinach (10)
11. Lettuce (11)
12. Potatoes (12)

These are wonderful, nutritious foods and should not be eliminated from your diet. The best way to cope with this problem is to eat a variety of foods, wash all produce thoroughly, and choose organic when possible to reduce exposure to toxic chemicals.

This link will bring you to the complete list http://www.foodnews.org/fulldataset.php