Submitted by Angie Sat 04/11/2009
Avoid chemicals and organic foods have higher levels of nutrients so not only will you be consuming less of the bad stuff you will definitely be getting more of the good stuff as well.
Some conventionally grown foods are treated with more pesticides than others. Some retain more of the pesticides. Here is a list of the top 12 foods containing the most pesticides, according to the Environmental Working Group, a non-profit research group based in Washington, D.C.
1. peaches
2. strawberries
3. apples
4. spinach
5. nectarines
6. celery
7. pears
8. cherries
9. potatoes
10. sweet bell peppers
11. raspberries
12. grapes (imported) These products should be purchased organic when possible, and carefully washed when not. Or, you may want to replace strawberries in your diet. For example, strawberries are a good source of vitamin C, but vitamin C is common in many other fruits and vegetables. Strawberries consistently show high levels of fungicides. Two of these, captan and iprodione, are classified by the EPA as probable human carcinogens.
Nutritious substitutes with far lower pesticide residues include blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and kiwis.
