Organic produce can be very expensive. I've previously written about the benefits of eating and buying organics... but are you wondering which fruit and veggies you can buy conventionally?
The Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit organization that advocates for policies that protect global and individual health, produces the Shoppers' Guide to Pesticides in Produce. It is based on the results of nearly 43,000 pesticide tests.
Organic fruits and vegetables are by definition grown without the use of pesticides. But some find the expense of organic foods prohibitive.
Of the 43 different fruit and vegetable categories in the Guide to Pesticides, the following twelve foods had the lowest pesticide load when conventionally grown.
Consequently, they are the safest conventionally grown crops to consume:
* Broccoli
* Eggplant
* Cabbage
* Banana
* Kiwi
* Asparagus
* Sweet peas (frozen)
* Mango
* Pineapple
* Sweet corn (frozen)
* Avocado
* Onion
Sources: DrWeil.com July 30, 2008; FoodNews.org Printable Shopper’s Guide