It’s Safer to Buy These 10 Fruits and Vegetables ORGANIC
Choosing between organic and conventional
foods is a tricky business. On one hand, it’s important to avoid foods
that contain extremely high levels of pesticides. After all, these
chemicals are known to pose certain health risks, including a higher
risk of cancer and hormonal disruptions. On the other hand, buying
organic-only is by no means a budget-friendly choice.
So which foods should you buy organic, and
which ones can you save on? Every year, the Environmental Working Group
(EWG) publishes a ranking of products based on yearly USDA testing of
locally-grown and imported foods for pesticides. While some common foods
have little to no pesticides in them, others contain a lot of these
chemicals even after washing and peeling.
If you’re worried and mindful of the pesticides in your food, it’s best
to buy these 10 fruits and vegetables organic. All of them ranked the
highest in pesticides on the EWG list this year.
1. Strawberries
Strawberries top the EWG list as the food
with the most pesticides for the fifth year in a row. 99 percent of the
strawberries tested by the organization contained at least one
pesticide, and 30 percent had 10 or more kinds of pesticides. This is
after all strawberries were rinsed in the field and washed right before
testing. If there’s only one food you want to always buy organic, it
should be strawberries.
2. Potatoes
Potatoes may not immediately come to mind
when you’re thinking of foods you should buy organic. After all, we’re
used to believing that peeling removes the majority of pesticides from
potatoes. Unfortunately, this is not always the case because the entire
root vegetable can absorb pesticides from the soil.
The USDA Pesticide Data Program showed that 35 different pesticides are
used to grow potatoes. The most common pesticide in potatoes is
chlorpropham, a herbicide that could have dangerous health effects with
regular exposure according to an animal study.
3. Grapes
Grapes have ranked number six on the EWG
list, with 96 percent of all the grapes tested containing pesticides.
For this reason, it’s best not to purchase grapes offseason and opt for
organically-grown grapes when they are in season. In the United States,
the season for harvesting grapes is from August through October.
4. Leafy greens 
Many leafy greens contain alarmingly high
levels of pesticides - 90 percent. Spinach is the close second after
strawberries on the EWG ranking. Kale, collard greens, and mustard
greens were mentioned collectively. They were included in the third spot
of the list.
Many samples of spinach contained traces of permethrin, a known
neurotoxin, whereas 60 percent of the kale samples had some amount of
DCPA, a potential carcinogen banned in the European Union. Luckily,
buying organic greens is easy, as most grocery stores offer them in the
fresh produce section these days.
5. Celery 
Celery is one of the healthiest foods out there, but it is also often
contaminated with pesticides. One celery sample tested by the USDA
contained 13 different pesticides, and the vast majority of the samples -
almost 95% percent - had at least one kind of pesticide.
Keep in mind that the levels of pesticide residue found in celery were
lower than many other crops mentioned on this list. If you’re juicing or
eating celery fresh, though, it’s still important to buy organic and
wash the stalks thoroughly before use.
6. Peppers
Both sweet bell peppers and hot peppers can
be surprisingly high in pesticides. Even though many hot pepper
varieties are naturally resistant to pests, almost 75% of them tested
positive for pesticide residue. “Peppers still contain concerning levels
of acephate and chlorpyrifos – organophosphate insecticides that can
harm children’s developing brains and are banned from use on some crops
in the U.S. and entirely in the EU,” the EWG points out on their
website.
7. Tomatoes
Both regular tomatoes and cherry tomatoes are best purchased organic,
although data suggest that cherry tomatoes are lower in their pesticide
content this year. Some samples of regular tomatoes contained up to 15
different kinds of pesticides! So opt for organic tomatoes or in-season
cherry tomatoes if organic ones are difficult to get where you live.The season for cherry tomatoes starts in June and ends in late summer.
8. Peaches and nectarines
Most conventionally-grown nectarines and
peaches contain at least one kind of pesticide. Some contained as many
as 15 varieties of these chemicals. Somewhat lower levels of chemical
residue were found in peaches, but both fruits made it to the EWG’s top
10 list in terms of their pesticide content. For this reason, it’s
probably best if you can find organically grown nectarines and peaches.
9. Cherries
Cherries landed on the seventh position in
the list, with the EWG pointing out that the conventional cherries they
sampled had on average 5 pesticides. Since cherry trees are susceptible
to a great number of pests and diseases, they are usually sprayed with a
number of pesticides and horticultural oils from early March until
they’re harvested in the summer. Unfortunately, no amount of washing is
able to remove all of these residues, so it’s safer to purchase organic
cherries.
10. Apples and Pears
Both apples and pears are subject to a lot
of spraying by pesticides as well. Washing and peeling the fruit before
eating can help reduce the number of pesticides you’ll end up ingesting,
but some of these chemicals can seep into the pulp of the fruits too.
As a result, the majority of apples and pears are contaminated with some
amount of pesticides.
The EEG reports that 80 percent of the apple samples they tested ended
up having diphenylamine, a pesticide banned over environmental and
health concerns in Europe.