Do I need to eat organic?” This is a question many patients pose to their naturopathic doctor. Eating your fruits and vegetables is important, regardless of the conditions they were grown under (sorry for those of you looking for an excuse to avoid eating your greens!). Some fruits and vegetables however, are associated with higher pesticide rates than others, so there are certain ones you may wish to consume organic where possible. The top “dirty dozen” fruits and vegetables, as ranked by the Environmental Working Group are:
1. apples
2. celery
3. strawberries
4. peaches
5. spinach
6. nectarines (imported)
7. grapes (imported)
8. sweet bell peppers
9. potatoes
10. blueberries (domestic)
11. lettuce
12. kale/collard greens
Interested to know what the top cleanest fruits and vegetables are? Click here to access the list of the “Clean 15” http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary/