Organic: The Dirty Dozen

Have you gotten your fix of fruits and veggies today?  The EWG just released the most up to date list of the fruits and vegetables you should buy organic.  These are the products that have been found to have the most pesticides known when purchased conventionally.

The EWG (Environmental working group) does make it clear that eating fruits and vegetables (even if only conventional) is better than not eating at all.  Of coarse, when possible, all organic is ideal but that is not always possible due to season, availability or cost.

Take this shopping with you.  If you like, I can email you the image and you can save in your phone as a reminder.  For you mothers: baby food was tested for the first time...buy organic!  The pesticide findings were consistent in baby food in a jar with the Dirty Dozen list.

So what about pesticides are bad for you (info directly from EWG)?

Pesticides are toxic by design.  They are created expressly to kill living organisms -- insects, plants, and fungi that are considered "pests." 

As acknowledged by U.S. and international government agencies, different pesticides have been linked to a variety of health problems, including: brain and nervous system toxicity, cancer, hormone disruption and skin, eye and lung irritation. 

For all the research I find on what to buy organic vs. conventional, I can find the same amount of research that says the pesticides found on produce are not at harmful levels.  I choose to buy whenever possible organic, I can't see how pesticides are good for my body.  If you want to do more research to make an informed decision that is right for you here are some good resources: Food News and Safe F&V.

Something else I would like to point out, that during the testing for the Dirty Dozen, all fruits and vegetables were washed before testing.  So although a fruit and vegetable wash is important practice, it does not remove all pesticides.  Something I have been thinking a lot about lately, is that I use tap water to clean my produce, but my tap isn't filtered.  I wouldn't knowingly drink unfiltered water, but yet it is good enough for my produce??  I think that will be changing soon....

Here's what the Federal Food and Drug Administration says about cleaning produce (directly from safefruitandveggies.com):

Washing fresh produce before eating is a healthful habit. You can reduce and often eliminate residues if they are present on fresh fruits and vegetables by following these simple tips:

• Wash produce with large amounts of cold or warm tap water, and scrub with a brush when appropriate; do not use soap.
• Throw away the outer leaves of leafy vegetables, such as lettuce and cabbage.

These washing steps should be followed for both conventional and organically grown produce to remove any pesticide residues, dirt or bacteria. Please remember to clean hands, scrub brushes or colandars before using to wash your fresh 

To healthy eating! Love, Love  - K