TIPS ON FOOD PESTICIDE RESIDUES
From: NON-TOXIC TIMES, The Seventh Generation
Newsletter
Vol. 1, No. 9
News You Can Use: A Few Foods That Don't Bite Back
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If
you'd like to keep pesticides and their residues off of your dinner plate, your
best bet is a diet based on organic foods. Of course, that's easier said than
done if you live in an area where organic food is hard to find or prohibitively
expensive. In that case, what's a concerned consumer to do? Well, you could
serve antidotes for dessert... but we think this is better: a list of the 12
least contaminated types of produce published by the Environmental Working
Group.
According
to the Environmental Working Group, when it comes to conventionally-grown
produce, these are the 12 cleanest kinds you can buy:
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Avocados |
Grapes
(domestic only) |
We don't recommend basing your diet solely on this
list, but it's a good healthy start towards meals that won't kill your
appetite.
Since
the EWG reports that more than half of our total dietary risk from pesticides
comes from just 12 foods:
strawberries
bell
peppers
spinach
cherries
peaches
Mexican
cantaloupe
Celery
Apples
Apricots
green beans
imported grapes
cucumbers
Avoiding these foods for the most part,
substituting from the clean list above, and eating organic and/or homegrown
produce whenever possible can substantially cut down on your exposure to
pesticides. When choosing foods from the above list, however, keep in mind that
corn and sweet potatoes are among those foods most likely to have been
genetically modified. When it comes to these two types of produce, consumers
concerned about GM foods as well will definitely want to seek out organic
alternatives to assure themselves of further safety.
For the full report, see:
http://www.ewg.org/pub/home/reports/Shoppers/Shoppers.html This is just one study. “Diet for A Poisoned Planet”(1990) by David
Steinman, had similar, but not the same findings.
A 1999 Green Guide newsletter list had other recommendations. Practices and pesticides are often
changing. Nevertheless, following these
guidelines is likely to help considerably reduce your pesticide exposure. TIP will continue to follow the latest
research in this area to pass along to the public.
Opportunities
for discussion of this, and information about other topics are available from:
Toxics
Information Project (TIP), Tel. 401-351-9193 or E-Mail: TIP@toxicsinfo.org