This list of the 15 cleanest and 12 dirtiest produce items in regards to pesticides has been released for 2010 and I was absolutely shocked by how many of these items I feed kids (and eat myself) on a daily basis. Fresh fruit does not come without its challenges and unfortunately the people who put together this list say they do so with the assumption you have thoroughly washed your produce.
We've all been running fruit under the tap and wiping it with a paper towel, but apparently this is not enough anymore. Even organic fruit may contain "organic pesticides" that we don't want to be eating. Not to mention the journey from farm to store is hardly a clean one. I've seen the bottles of cleaning solution meant for foods in the produce section of my store, but I don't know anyone who has ever actually used them. I've heard that keeping a solution of vinegar and water in a spray bottle and cleaning fruit with that is also a good and cost effective option, I will definitely be doing that from now on.
Here is the list in all it's glory.
Clean Fifteen:
onion
avocado
sweet corn
pineapple
mango
sweet peas
kiwi
eggplant
papaya
watermelon
asparagus
cabbage
broccoli
tomato
sweet potato
Since these are the "cleaner" foods the Environmental Working Group says you can skip the organic versions of these foods to save money.
The Dirty Dozen:
peach
apple
bell pepper
celery
nectarine
strawberries
cherries
kale
lettuce
imported grapes
carrots
pears
Apples I have always felt I cleaned particularly well since I heard that the well on top of the apple where the stem is is also where the pesticides pool and sit and create that grimy circle. That part of the apple is also where most people begin to slice which ends up contaminating the inside of the fruit as well.
I absolutely hate becoming paranoid about things like this, I resisted the urge to freak out about swine flu, but the prospect of growing kids eating up to 10 pesticides a day makes me cringe.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Washing produce (not just rinsing) is standard practice in our home, not so much because of pesticides, which are used less in Israel, but because of Jewish Dietary laws against the eating of bugs. 1 Tablespoon of vinegar to one quart of water will wash off most pesticides. But things like berries are much "buggier" and therefore also dirtier (bugs move pesticides meant to kill them to the interior of the fruit). Things like these we swish in soapy water (just a dot of dish soap does the trick) and then rinse 3 times.
ReplyDeleteAnd for the record, it's not pesticides that make that pool in apples, it's water and dirt. you can't see residue from 99% of pesticides. All the apples from our trees growing up were pesticide free and they had that dirt as well. put the apples stem-side down in a plate of vinegar water to get the residue out.