If you’re eating non-organic spinach today, you may be ingesting lot of pesticides with it, according to a new report from the Environmental Working Group. People who eat organic produce eat fewer pesticides.
But, what are pesticides?
A pesticide is a mixture of chemical substances which is used on farms to battle pests, diseases and weeds from affecting crops. Some studies associate pesticides with lot of health problems such as cancer,nervous system disorders,children’s intelligence and brain development.
How to avoid pesticides?
- Smart shopping choices
- Eat organic produce
- If you cannot find or afford organic types, cook them
- All fresh produce, whether it’s grown with or without pesticides, should be washed with water
- Peeling can help, although you have to take into account that they can be inside the fruit
- Use clean fifteen list and avoid dirty dosen one
EWG’s 2016 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce
-Dirty Dosen List-
- Strawberries top this year’s list of the produce with the highest level of pesticide residue
-Clean Fifteen List-
- Avocados were the cleanest: only 1 percent of avocado samples showed any detectable pesticides.
- Avocado
- Sweet corn
- Pineapples
- Cabbage
- Sweet peas (frozen)
- Onions
- Asparagus
- Mangoes
- Papayas
- Kiwi
- Eggplant
- Honeydew melon
- Grapefruit
- Cantaloupe
- Cauliflower
