The Environmental Working Group has just released their latest edition of the Shopper’s Guide to Pesticide in Produce.  Pesticides in our diet have been linked to numerous diseases, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, autism and endometriosis, to name a few.  Children, pregnant females and women in their child bearing years are highly susceptible to the negative effects of these toxins and should also be mindful of their intake of fruits and vegetables containing high levels of pesticides. 

Apples top the list for being the most contaminated produce item, an organic apple a day keeps the doctor away!  You should buy organic whenever possible, this guide helps you focus on the items you should definitely buy organic and what you can buy conventional when trying to stretch your grocery budget.  The guide ranks 48 popular fruits and vegetables based on an analysis of 32,000 samples tested by U.S. Department of Agriculture and the federal Food and Drug Administration.

Farms using pesticides on their fields contribute to the contamination of local water supplies with these harmful toxins.  When you support an organic farmer by purchasing produce grown without the use of pesticides, you also support a cleaner environment.  When the EPA tests for tolerance to pesticides, it tests on animals who are exposed to high levels of these chemicals, one at a time.  In reality when humans consume contaminated produce, they consume many pesticides at low doses over a long period of time.  Short term exposure studies of these chemical do not give us adequate data on the long term effects of these chemicals.  Pesticides have been linked to a number of health problems and it is widely known and accepted that they are harmful to humans.  It is in our best interest to limit our exposure to these chemicals to protect ourselves and our families.

Download a PDF version of this guide here.

Data from the Environmental Working Group, take a look at the entire list of fruits/vegetables tested here.