29 Apr Most Important Organic Fruits and Vegetables

Most Important Organic Fruits and Vegetables

On a recent trip to the grocery store you start sifting through the produce to pick the perfect apple, a couple of bell peppers, and some spinach. You’re feeling good that you’re consciously adding fruits and vegetables to your diet. And then you start to wonder about the difference between foods grown with pesticides vs. organic.

Unless you’re shopping organic, most fruits and vegetables at the supermarket are grown with pesticides as a way to generate the most produce with each harvest. But is that bad? Do you need to spend the extra money to go organic, or are some fruits and vegetables grown with pesticides still safe and healthy?

The Environmental Working Group recently partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and tested fruits and vegetables for pesticides after putting them through a high-water-pressure cleaning. They found that some fruits and vegetables grown with pesticides have no trace of harmful chemicals after washing. They also found that it’s better to go organic for certain fruits and vegetables. That’s because pesticides and chemicals present in fruits and vegetables when you eat them increases your risk for cancer, according to The National Cancer Institute.

The Dirty Dozen

Based on the findings by the Environmental Working Group, fruits and vegetables you should avoid (choose organic instead), also called The Dirty Dozen include:

•    Peaches
•    Celery
•    Strawberries
•    Apples
•    Blueberries
•    Nectarines
•    Sweet bell peppers
•    Spinach, kale, and collard greens
•    Cherries
•    Potatoes
•    Grapes
•    Lettuce

These fruits and vegetables still had measurable levels of chemicals and pesticides even after going through a serious washing in a commercial kitchen. So if these are on your shopping list, skip the main produce section and shop organic.

The Clean Fifteen

Fortunately, some fruits and vegetables got the green light after the commercial cleaning and had no traces of chemicals or pesticides. Go ahead and shop for these fruits and vegetables in the regular produce section (if you want), which the Environmental Working Group calls The Clean 15. Of course you still want to give them a thorough washing when you get home. The Clean 15 include:

•    Onions
•    Avocados
•    Sweet corn
•    Pineapples
•    Mango
•    Sweet peas
•    Asparagus
•    Kiwi fruit
•    Cabbage
•    Eggplant
•    Cantaloupe
•    Watermelon
•    Grapefruit
•    Sweet potatoes
•    Sweet onions

Bottom Line

If you take a look at the Harvard Healthy Eating Plate or ChooseMyPlate developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, you’ll see that half your plate should be filled with fruits and vegetables at every meal. It’s a good practice to improve your diet, prevent weight gain, control blood sugar levels, lower cholesterol, and keep your blood pressure in a healthy range.  Not sure where to start? Consider speaking with a knowledgeable naturopath.

But the benefits don’t stop there. Fruits and vegetables also help regulate your body’s pH levels and prevent premature aging, strengthen your immune system, improve digestion, and reduce your risk for chronic disease, according to a study published in the Journal of Environmental and Public Health.

The next time you whip out your shopping list at the grocery store and head to the produce section, keep in mind the Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15 to pick fruits and vegetables without pesticides or chemicals that can harm your health.