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Whether you're stuck in a food desert or have a tight food budget, you don't need to be exposed to dangerous pesticides.
Despite the fact that organic food is your healthiest option, buying it isn't always feasible. A recent study conducted by the Consumer Reports Food Safety and Sustainability Center found that, overall, organic foods cost 47 percent more. And if cost isn't a limiting factor, not everyone has equal access to fresh produce (let alone organic produce), such as those living in food deserts.
Organic trumps all, since it's better for you and the environment, but the Consumer Reports study points out that eating conventionally grown produce is still better than not eating any fruits and vegetables. Here are five ways to protect yourself if conventional produce is your only option.
#1. Look for Country of Origin
Knowing where your food comes from matters. If you're stuck buying conventional produce, aim for these very-low-risk options, according to Consumer Reports:
• Asparagus grown in Mexico
• Avocado grown in Chile, Mexico, or Peru
• Blueberries grown in Uruguay
• Broccoli grown in America
• Cabbage grown in Canada, Mexico, or America
• Cantaloupe from Honduras or Mexico. Avoid those grown in America
• Celery grown in Mexico
• Cilantro grown in America
• Eggplant grown in Honduras
• Green onions grown in Mexico
• Mangoes from Mexico
• Mushrooms grown in Canada
• Onions grown in Peru or America
• Papaya grown in Belize, Brazil, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, or America
• Pineapples grown in Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, or America
• Prunes grown in America
• Spinach grown in Mexico
• Sweet corn grown in Mexico or America
• Watermelon grown in Guatemala
• Winter squash grown in Guatemala, but not America
#2. Avoid the Worst Offenders
The Environmental Working Group identifies the most pesticide-laden produce on the market, naming it the Dirty Dozen list. Limit eating these foods whenever organic options aren't available.
To add to this list, Consumer Reports says high-risk produce (in terms of pesticides) include peaches, tangerines, plums (from Chile, but not America), apples (from America, but not New Zealand), green beans, bell peppers, hot peppers, and sweet potatoes.
#3. Clean Your Produce
Thoroughly washing your produce can help clean off the pesticides. Researchers at Consumer Reports recommend washing fruits and vegetables for 30 seconds to a minute, using a produce brush when possible. They even suggest washing foods that you're going to peel to help avoid contaminating your clean food with pesticides.
Consider making your own produce wash.
#4. Grow Your Own
Don't want pesticides in your food? You can choose not to put them there if you grow your own food. You'd be surprised what you can grow, even in a small space.
#5. Don't Rely on Organic Canned Foods
Organic canned foods sounds like a great way to eat organic on the cheap, but you're just swapping out one evil (pesticides) for another (BPA). The only organic canned-food brand that does not contain BPA or harmful BPA replacements is Eden Organics. Opt for frozen or dried organic foods, instead. Dried organic beans are not expensive, and Consumer Reports found that frozen organic foods are sometimes cheaper than conventionally grown ones.
Contrary to the old adage, an apple a day may not keep the doctor away. According to the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) 2015 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce, apples topped the list as the most pesticide-contaminated produce for the fifth year in a row. Peaches and nectarines round out the top three “dirtiest” foods while avocados, sweet corn and pineapples are among the cleanest. EWG’s annual Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen lists rank fruits and vegetables according to pesticide residue levels reported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Despite growing consumer demand for pesticide-free fruits and vegetables evident in increased organic food sales, pesticides were found on nearly two-thirds of the 3,015 produce samples tested by the USDA, even in some cases after they had been washed and peeled.
“The bottom line is people do not want to eat pesticides with their fruits and vegetables,” said Ken Cook, EWG’s president and cofounder. “That’s why we will continue telling shoppers about agricultural chemicals that turn up on their produce, and we hope we will inform, and ultimately, empower them to eat cleaner.”
165 different pesticides were identified on the USDA food samples with 99 percent of apples, 98 percent of peaches and 97 percent of nectarines testing positive for at least one residue. Cherry tomatoes, grapes, snap peas and potatoes were also among the most contaminated with potatoes averaging more pesticides by weight than any other produce. For the third year in a row, EWG also expanded the Dirty Dozen list with a Plus category to include hot peppers and leafy greens that contain trace amounts of highly hazardous pesticides, including organophosphate and carbamate insecticides. Acephate, chlorpyrifos and oxamyl (highly toxic insecticides) are banned on some crops but still permitted on hot peppers. And although pesticides DDE and dieldrin were banned years ago, residue from agricultural soils is still found on leafy greens grown today.
Pesticides have been linked to a number of negative impacts on the environment and human health, including depression and suicide in farmers, decreasing bee populations and increased risk of Parkinson’s disease. A recent study found lower pesticide levels in people who eat organic food, and EWG confirms that the best way for consumers to avoid pesticides in food is to purchase organic produce if possible. If food accessibility or financial restrictions limit access to organic foods, the Clean 15 list highlights produce with the lowest levels of pesticide exposure and is also a good option.
“We are saying, eat your fruits and vegetables,” said Sonya Lunder, EWG’s senior analyst. “But know which ones have the highest amounts of pesticides so you can opt for the organic versions, if available and affordable, or grab a snack off the Clean Fifteen.”
- Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.
- For a pick me up in the afternoon... Put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours. Slice some and put in your water bottle.
- If you rub a cucumber slice along your bathroom mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.
- Place a few slices of cucumber in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.
- Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemical in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!
- Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!
- Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries by European trappers, traders and explorers for quick meals to thwart off starvation.
- Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don’t have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.
- Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!
- Stressed out and don’t have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber will react with the boiling water and released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown to reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.
- Just finish a business lunch and realize you don’t have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the photochemical will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.
- Looking for a ‘green’ way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but it won’t leave streaks and won’t harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.
