Know your Fruits and Veggies

Summer is upon us, with a plentiful array of luscious, seasonal fruits and veggies.  Although there’s nothing like fresh produce, beware of contaminants and pesticides.  By avoiding the most-contaminated produce, and concentrating on the least contaminated instead, you can reduce your exposure to pesticides by almost 90 percent, EWG says.

20 Fruits and Veggies With the MOST Pesticides

The following list are the fruits and veggies you should always buy organic.  These are ranked in order by EWG, with the worst of the bunch at #1.

1. Peaches

2. Apples

3. Sweet Bell Peppers

4. Celery

5. Nectarines

6. Strawberries

7. Cherries

8. Pears

9. Grapes (Imported)

10. Spinach

11. Lettuce

12. Potatoes

13. Carrots

14. Green Beans

15. Hot Peppers

16. Cucumbers

17. Raspberries

18. Plums

19. Grapes (Domestic)

20. Oranges

20 Fruits and Veggies With the LEAST Amount of Pesticides

According to EWG, the following produce has the lowest pesticide load, ranked in order with the lowest pesticides first.

1. Onion

2. Avocado

3. Sweet corn (Frozen)

4. Pineapples

5. Mango

6. Asparagus

7. Sweet peas (Frozen)

8. Kiwi

9. Bananas

10. Cabbage

11. Broccoli

12. Papaya

13. Blueberries

14. Cauliflower

15. Winter Squash

16. Watermelon

17. Sweet potatoes

18. Tomatoes

19. Honeydew melon

20. Cantaloupe