Killing Me Softly (with pesticides)

Oh human race, you are baffling. Somehow you have taken nature's perfect food and turned it into cancer-causing, neurotoxic death grenades.




The next time you see some study or headline or lame-o doctor proclaiming that "there is no evidence that organic is better", please feel free to revisit these facts:

Grapes have up to 14 different pesticides in a single sample

Peaches are treated with more pesticides than any other produce--with combinations of up to 57 different chemicals found in their flesh

Hot peppers are treated with as many as 97 pesticides, cucumbers 68, and greens (lettuce and dark greens like spinach, kale, mustard greens...you know, the really good stuff) up to 66.

You can read about the methodology of this annual study (as well as other fun and encouraging facts!) by clicking here.




The EWG comes up with a safe and unsafe list every year.

Here are their "dirty dozen" worst offenders:

apples
celery
strawberries
peaches
spinach
nectarines
grapes
red/yellow bell peppers
potatoes
blueberries
lettuce
kale/collard greens
[cilantro]*
[cucumbers]*
[raspberries]*

*also tested off the charts for pesticide contamination

And here are their "clean fifteen" with zero or very minimal contamination:

onions
sweet corn
pineapples
avocado
asparagus
sweet peas
mangos
eggplant
cantaloupe
kiwi
cabbage
watermelon
sweet potatoes
grapefruit
mushrooms

I don't know about you, but I'm shopping with this list from now on.