Produce: Sometimes organic is mandatory.

So maybe you're a health pro and you consume 5 fruits/veggies a day, well let's up your game. Do you always consider where these veggies came from? Knowing how they were produced is so important in understanding the nutritional value of your food. Unfortunately to save time and money the use of pesticides with our food has become prevalent. Annually, more than 1.2 billion pounds of pesticides is sprayed/added to U.S. crops (Murray, p. 47).

Pesticides kill pests. What do you think they do to humans? There is a huge consensus out there that pesticides can really damage your health, especially during fetal development (in womb) and in early childhood. So if you are a pregnant mother or a new parent, consider your child if anything (EWG Handout). Also, consider the health of the workers who use the pesticides, and the environmental damage that occurs because of pesticides. All the more reason for you to use your consumer dollar to deny support to this harmful practice, and to protect yourself, humanity and the earth as well.

Aside from the politics, the point of this post is to expose the fruits and veggies that have lots of pesticides. You gotta start somewhere. The Environmental Working Group explains that people who consume 5 fruits and veggies from the Dirty Dozen list on average ingest 10 pesticides a day. Yummy...hmm, not so much. Especially if your body is on overload mode and can't get rid of these toxins properly. People who eat from the 15 least contaminated list consume less than 2 pesticides on a daily basis. What's upsetting is that people think they are doing something good for their health but they are also putting themselves at risk.

Don't risk it and buy organic when you can (even if it's not on the list). Turns out broccoli (which is not on the list) has more than 50 pesticides used on it. I guess it wouldn't make the list when you compare it to the 110 pesticides that are used on apples(Murray, 49). Point is, just be mindful of what you are ingesting. To help get you started, here is the Environmental Working Group's list to consider.

DIRTY DOZEN Buy these ones organic.
From the worst:
1) Celery
2) Peaches
3) Strawberries
4) Apples
5) Blueberries
6) Nectarines
7) Bell Peppers
8) Spinach
9) Cherries
10) Kale/Collard Greens
11) Potatoes
12) Grapes (Imported)

CLEAN 15 Lowest in pesticides.
From the best:
1) Onions
2) Avocado
3) Sweet corn
4) Pineapple
5) Mangos
6) Sweet peas
7) Asparagus
8) Kiwi
9) Cabbage
10) Eggplant
11) Cantaloupe
12) Watermelon
13) Grapefruit
14) Sweet Potato
15) Honeydew melon

As a woman reminded me tonight, if you are going to buy a pair of good shoes do you go to Payless or do you go somewhere else known for more quality? If you will fork out the money for a good pair of shoes for your feet what about your body?

Same goes for food, it may be more expensive but there is a difference between price and value. The price might be lower, but what about the value?