Top 12 Most Contaminated Produce

[Tizara]

I thought this information might be helpful for parents who want to avoid exposing their kids to high levels of pesticides. I know buying organic can be expensive, or near impossible in some areas but for those consuming huge amounts of fresh fruits and veggies as in the raw food diet - it is cause for concern.

I knew about non-organic apples, grapes and strawberries being really bad, but I was pretty alarmed with the other items on the list that I thought were o.k. to buy non-organic. My personal belief is that even if the (non-organic) produce is thoroughly washed, there will still be some pesticide(s) within the food itself.

You will also find a list of "safe" (I presume non-organic) produce further down the list.

The following information was provided courtesy of Fredric Patenaude, based on his research.

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The Black List
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So, what are the most contaminated fruits and vegetables? HereÂ’s the black list, according to the most recent data analysed:

---> The top 4 are fruits, in the following order:

#1 (Most Contaminated): Peach
#2: Strawberry
#3: Apple
#4: Nectarine

---> The other highly contaminated fruits in the top 12 are:

#5 Pears
#6 Cherrie
#7 Red raspberries
#8 Imported grapes (Chile, Mexico, etc.)

Some of these fruits, such as peaches and nectarines and raspberries, can contain up to 45 different pesticides! Overall, studies show that those fruits have a high chance of being contaminated with a good number of different pesticide residues.

As for the vegetables, those that are the most likely to expose you to pesticide residues are:

#1 Celery
#2 Spinach
#3 Potatoes
#4 Sweet Bell Pepper

Those vegetables have a high chance of containing pesticide residues, some of them containing several!

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The Least Contaminated Produce
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---> Now, for the “good” vegetables, here’s the top, least contaminated, in order of purity:

- Sweet corn
- Avocado
- Cauliflower
- Asparagus
- Onions
- Peas
- Broccoli

---> The least contaminated fruits are:

- Pineapples
- Mangoes
- Bananas
- Kiwi
- Papaya


Very few mangoes and pineapple have pesticide residues on them, and when they do they usually contain only one type. Bananas do often contain pesticide residues, but rarely multiple ones.

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Conclusion
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To avoid pesticides, the best thing is to consume organic foods. When that is not possible, select the foods that have the least pesticides on them, and avoid those on the “black list.”

---> Other importance tricks to help reduce our pesticide exposure:

* Peel non-organic fruits, whenever possible*: That means pears, apples, etc. I know many nutritionists say that the peel contains the most vitamins, but it isnÂ’t quite true. The peel of fruits is indigestible, so even though it may contain many vitamins, they are not assimilated as well as the vitamins in the flesh of the fruits.

*Wash your produce with a non-toxic soap*. You can buy a non-toxic soap for washing produce in most health food stores. Use this soap to wash your non-organic peaches, or other fruits if you happen to buy them.

Remember however that eating non-organic fruits and vegetables is still better than drinking organic beer or eating organic pizza!


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WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this blurb with it: Young entrepreneur, Frederic Patenaude, is the author of the best-selling e-book “The Raw Secrets” and is known for his no-gimmick, BS-free approach to health and nutrition. To learn more about “The Raw Secrets,” and to read his FR*EE how-to articles and newsletter, visit http://www.fredericpatenaude.com

[RawFoodieMom]

Thank you very much for sharing this. I was thinking about searching the net for it when I had time, now I don't have to. :) Do you know how recent this list is? I wonder if the statistics change every so often?

Debra

[maraw]

Yes, thanks a bunch! This is very helpful - I can't always get organic everything and this will help me decide which fruits and veggies to avoid if necessary.

[Goddess_girl]

Thanks for posting

[rawrevolutionbaby]

i am wondering where this list is from? I live in maui and know they spray the pineapples so heavily.\\
if i eat even a small piece, i break outwith a rash on my face- but not so with organic
it would be great to know where this list is from because it probably has more info on health

[exurb]

here's a more "original source" link from the EWG (environmental working group) who does this testing

http://www.foodnews.org/reportcard.php

If you also look at the right, there are other headings, like a wallet card that you can print out or a place to click for methodology to see how they got the results.

rawrevolution, they seem to test the foods "as prepared to eat". So stuff is washed first, then stuff like bananas or pineapples are peeled. So even though those pineapples might be doused (and I understand bananas are too), the residue tested in the part you eat scored relatively ok.

[Secret Heart]

I printed out this list of most and least contaminated for my wallet..it fits perfectly!

Heather

http://www.stonyfield.com/Organic/EWGShoppersGuide.pdf