Which popular produce has the least and most pesticide residue?
The Environmental Working Group analyzes pesticide residue testing data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration annually to come up with rankings for the most popular fresh produce items.
This list for 2017 may help with making choices when purchasing food for you and your family.
Dirty Dozen (most heavily pesticide laden produce)
- Strawberries
- Spinach
- Nectarines
- Apples
- Peaches
- Pears
- Cherries
- Grapes
- Celery
- Tomatoes
- Sweet Bell Peppers
- Potatoes
Clean 15 ( least pesticide residue found)
- Sweet Corn
- Avocadoes
- Pineapples
- Cabbage
- Onions
- Sweet Peas, frozen
- Papayas
- Asparagus
- Mangoes
- Eggplant
- Honeydew Melon
- Kiwi
- Cantaloupe
- Cauliflower
- Grapefruit
Do wash all produce well with water. You can’t eliminate pesticide residue, and you can reduce it.
I recommend eating 7 servings of vegetables and fruits daily. An adult sized serving is generally one cup of raw food, except for leafy greens which is 2 cups. The serving size for cooked fruit and vegetables is ½ cup. A child sized serving is about the amount that will fit in the palm of his hand.
The greater the variety of colors, the better. Each color signifies different nutrients that our body needs to thrive.
We truly are what we eat, and the body can only work with what we feed it.
Note: If you are not accustomed to eating this much produce, increase your intake over a few weeks so as not to have digestive problems.