Fruit and Vegetable Pesticide Loads

Are All Vegetables the Same?

Conventionally farmed vegetables are not your best choice. Organic vegetables are a much better option.   Why?  USDA Organic farmers must use different standards when growing vegetables. These standards include never using:

• Pesticides

• Synthetic Fertilizers

• Sewage sludge

• Genetically modified organisms

• Ionizing radiation

 The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers 60 percent of herbicides, 90 percent of fungicides, and 30 percent of insecticides to be carcinogenic, and most are damaging to your nervous system as well. In fact, these powerful and dangerous chemicals have been linked to numerous health problems such as:

• Neurotoxicity

• Disruption of your endocrine system

• Carcinogenicity

• Immune system suppression

• Male infertility and reduced reproductive function

• Miscarriages

• Parkinson's Disease

The following fruits and vegetables have the highest pesticide load, making them the most important to buy organic:

• -  Peaches
• -  Apples
• -  Sweet bell peppers
• -  Celery
• -  Nectarines
• -  Strawberries
• -  Cherries
• -  Lettuce
• -  Grapes (imported)
• -  Pears
• -  Spinach
• -  Potatoes

The following fruits and vegetables have the lowest pesticide load, making them the safest bet among conventionally grown foods:

• -  Broccoli
• -  Cabbage
• -  Eggplant
• -  Banana
• -  Kiwi
• -  Asparagus
• -  Sweet peas (frozen)
• -  Mango
• -  Pineapple
• -  Sweet corn (frozen)
• -  Avocado
• -  Onion