Article by Dulce Ruby for Collective Evolution
If you share my curiosity about the food you eat, you probably try to stay mindful and careful about what you put into your body every day.
Which items really deserve the organic label so we can feel more confident that our exposure to toxins is as low as possible? How can we figure that out?
Luckily, we don't have to rely on chance or instinct to get the nutrients we need without the harmful chemicals some crops carry. Each year, the Environmental Working Group tests most of the fruits and vegetables available on the market to identify which conventionally grown ones have the highest—and lowest—levels of chemical pesticides. And fortunately, that annual update has arrived.
Released early this morning, their 2018 report found that nearly 70 percent of the produce they tested contained pesticide residues.
According to the findings, strawberries, spinach, and nectarines were the worst offenders for the second year running. The average strawberry sample tested positive for 20 different pesticides, while spinach had 1.8 times more pesticide residue by weight than any other crop. On the opposite end, avocados and sweet corn were the cleanest, with less than 1 percent of samples showing any detectable pesticides.
As a side note, eating organic is best, but if you can't always do that, it's helpful to know which items to avoid. If keeping your body in peak condition to connect spiritually is part of your goal, eating clean and putting harmonious foods into your system is essential. For more on the adverse health effects of pesticides, click here.
Here is the full 2018 ranking, and you can view the complete EWG report at this link:
2018 Dirty Dozen
- Strawberries
- Spinach
- Nectarines
- Apples
- Grapes
- Peaches
- Cherries
- Pears
- Tomatoes
- Celery
- Potatoes
- Sweet bell peppers
2018 Clean Fifteen
- Avocados
- Sweet corn
- Pineapples
- Cabbage
- Onions
- Frozen sweet peas
- Papayas
- Asparagus
- Mangoes
- Eggplant
- Honeydew melon
- Kiwi
- Cantaloupe
- Cauliflower
- Broccoli
Be sure to share this article with family and friends to spread the knowledge.
Still want to learn more about this topic? Below are additional articles to explore for deeper insight.
Let’s end this with a quote from Hippocrates:
Remember, remember, re-member.
