Let’s keep it simple:    make sure you are buying the following fruits and veggies organic.  

The reason?   According the @environmentalworkinggroup yearly ‘“Shoppers Guide to Pesticides in Produce’ the following fruits and veggies have the highest levels of pesticides.  This means you definitely want to buy organic versions of them to avoid ingesting these harmful chemicals.

’EWG Dirty Dozen’

1. Strawberries

2. Spinach

3. Kale

4. Nectarine

5. Apples

6. Grapes

7. Peaches

8. Cherries

9. Pears

10. Tomatos

11. Celery

12. Potatoes

13. Hot pepper

Why are Pesticides bad for everyone-  but especially kids? 

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics “ children have unique susceptibilities to [pesticide residues’] potential toxicity.” Pesticide exposures in early life has been linked to pediatric cancers, decreased cognitive function and behavioral problems.

The good news is that there are fruits and vegetables that have consistently shown very low levels of pesticides - these are safe to buy conventional (not organic) “ 

“Clean 15”

Avocado

Sweet corn

Pineapple

Onions

Papaya

Sweet peas frozen

Eggplant

Asparagus

Cauliflower

Cantaloup

Broccoli

Mushrooms

Cabbage

Honeydew

Kiwi

I usually screen shot these lists and have them handy to bring with me to the farmers market and supermarket!  If you would like you can download them as a pdf here

I also always clean ALL my fruits and vegetables - even when they are organic- because  even organic produce can contain trace amounts of pesticides (from neighboring non organic fields) in addition de bacteria and other germs from people handling them etc.   Submerge them in vinegar and water (60% vinegar : 40% water) or hand wash with soap and water!