the "dirty dozen"
Top Foods to Choose Organic
The “dirty dozen” are the most commonly
and highly contaminated foods with pesticides and chemicals, even after washing
and peeling. The research used to compile this list is from extensive
independent tests run by the FDA and the USDA from over 100,000 samples of
food. The chemical pesticides detected in these studies are known to cause
cancer, birth defects, nervous system and brain damage, and development
problems in children. Panic if it ain’t organic.
See Renée’s new book The Balanced
Plate (due out August, 2006) for more in-depth information.
1. Meat: beef, pork, and poultry
The EPA reports that meat is contaminated
with higher levels of pesticides than any plant food. Many chemical pesticides
are fat-soluble and accumulate in fatty tissue of animals.
2. Dairy: milk, cheese and butter
For similar reasons to meat, the fat in
dairy products pose a high risk for contamination of pesticides as animals
concentrate pesticides and chemicals in their milk and meat. Growth hormones
and antibiotics are also a serious concern and invariably found in commercial
milk, cheese and butter.
3. Strawberries
Strawberries are the most heavily dosed
crops with pesticides in America. On average, 300 pounds of pesticides are
applied to every acre of strawberries (compared to an average of 25 pounds per
acre for other foods).
4. Apples
With 36 different chemicals detected in
FDA testing, half of which are neurotoxins (meaning they cause brain damage),
apples are almost as contaminated as strawberries. Peeling non-organic apples
reduces but does not eliminate the danger of ingesting these chemicals. Go
organic, especially for children.
5. Tomatoes
More than 30 pesticides are standard
regimen to spray on conventionally grown tomatoes. The thin skin does not
protect chemicals from infiltrating the whole tomato. Bummer.
6. Potatoes
Potatoes are one of the most popular
vegetables in America and rank among the most laden with pesticides. Fungicides
added to soil where potatoes are grown is another story and reason to go
organic.
7. Spinach (and other greens including
lettuce)
The FDA found spinach to be one of the
most frequently contaminated crops with some of the most potent pesticides used
on food.
8. Coffee
Most coffee is grown is countries where
there are little to no standards to regulate the use of chemicals and
pesticides on food. Purchasing “Fair Trade” coffee is further assurance that
the premium price paid for this treasured beverage supports farms and workers
with more equanimity and reward.
9. Peaches and Nectarines
45 different pesticides are regularly
applied to succulent, delicious peaches and nectarines in conventional
orchards. The thin skin does not protect the fruit from the dangers of these poisons.
10. Grapes (especially imported grapes)
Because grapes are a delicate fruit, they
are sprayed multiple times during different stages of growth. The thin skin
does not offer much protection to the 35 different pesticides used as a
standard in conventional vineyards. Imported grapes are even more heavily
treated that domestically grown grapes. Several of the most poisonous
pesticides banned in the U.S. are still used on grapes grown abroad.
11. Celery
At least 29 different chemicals are
applied directly to conventionally grown celery as it grows, which cannot be
washed off because celery does not have any protective skin.
12. Bell Peppers (Red & Green)
Bell
peppers are
one of the most heavily sprayed foods, with standard use of 39 pesticides. The
thin skin of peppers does not offer much protection from spraying.
