EWG organic list

Each year I write about the Environmental Working Group's list of the most pesticided produce in America.

This year they've added genetically modified crops to their list.

As always, let me remind you that it is always better to eat fruit and vegetables. Every cancer study out there says that people who eat more vegetables are less likely to develop cancer. So eat vegetables, even if you can't find/afford organic ones.

However, if you can avoid these heavily pesticided crops, your nervous system and endocrine system will thank you. (Most pesticides are neuro-toxic or hormone-disruptors. This includes the Weed'n'Feed and Round Up you put on your lawn. Don't do it.)

A brief aside on genetically modified organisms (gmos). Wheat, corn and soy are always gmo unless labelled non-gmo or organic. In the produce aisle, however, most foods are not gm. The exceptions are zucchini, Hawaiian papaya, and some varieties of sweet corn. EWG advises people to buy these organic in order to avoid gmos.

The good news is that sometimes really toxic pesticides are taken off the market because they can be detected on foods. Last year EWG singled out green beans because they were often contaminated with two highly toxic organophosphates. Use of these pesticides has since been restricted by the EPA. Unfortunately, non-organic leafy greens still show residues of organophosphates, and EWG recommends avoiding them.

Sadly, tests in 2008 found that some American-grown summer squash contained residues of organochlorine pesticides that were phased out of agriculture in the 1970s and 1980s. The toxic chemicals are still in the soil in some farm fields. Yet another reason to buy produce from organic farmers who feed the soil, not poison it.

Produce to avoid if not organic:
apples
celery
cherry tomatoes
cucumbers
grapes
kale / collard greens
hot peppers
imported nectarines
peaches
potatoes
spinach
strawberries
summer squash (zucchini)
sweet bell peppers

Produce that is safe to eat if not organic
(Although think of the soil and future generations)
asparagus
avocados
cabbage
cantaloupe
corn (if not gmo)
eggplant
grapefruit
kiwis
mangoes
mushrooms
onions
papayas
pineapples
peas
sweet potatoes

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