Dr. Mercola August 12 2008 271,264 views
The Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit organization that advocates for policies that protect global and individual health, produces the Shoppers' Guide to Pesticides in Produce. It is based on the results of nearly 43,000 pesticide tests.
Organic fruits and vegetables are by definition grown without the use of pesticides. But some find the expense of organic foods prohibitive. Of the 43 different fruit and vegetable categories in the Guide to Pesticides, the following twelve foods had the lowest pesticide load when conventionally grown. Consequently, they are the safest conventionally grown crops to consume:
The biggest study ever into organic food – a four-year EU funded project called the Quality Low Input Food (QLIF) project – found that organic food is FAR more nutritious than ordinary produce, and can help improve your health and longevity. You’re likely to hear more about this again, once they publish their findings in full, which is expected to occur by the end of this year.
This study may have considerable impact, as its findings may even overturn government advice – at least in the U.K. – which currently states that eating organic food is no more than a lifestyle choice.
For example, this study found that:
The researchers even went so far as to say that eating organic foods can help to increase the nutrient intake of people who don’t eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
Food grown in healthier soil, with natural fertilizers and no chemicals, simply has to be more nutritious. It is common knowledge -- though knowledge that is greatly suppressed in the United States. But science is catching up, making suppression of this fact more difficult to sustain. A 2003 study in the Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry, for example, found that organic foods are better for fighting cancer. And in 2005, scientists found that, compared to rats that ate conventional diets, organically fed rats experienced various health benefits, including:
Does this mean that you should ditch all of your conventional produce and meat, and only buy certified organic foods? Well, yes … and no.
What Should You Buy Organic?
Aside from the fact that organic food contains higher levels of vital nutrients, organic foods are also lower in other residues and compounds that are seriously detrimental to your health, such as herbicide- and pesticide residues.
Additionally, the use of pesticides and herbicides in conventional farming practices contaminates groundwater, ruins the soil structure and promotes erosion. They’ve also been linked to the mysterious “colony collapse disorder” that threatens pollinating honeybees around the world. With that in mind, buying or growing as much organic food as possible is not only best for your health, but for the health of the entire planet.
That said, however, certain fruits and vegetables are subjected to far heavier pesticide use than others. And with food prices rising, many are looking for ways to buy the healthiest foods possible at the lowest cost. One such way would be to focus on purchasing certain organic items, while “settling” for others that are conventionally-grown.
This is where the EWG study of pesticide residue on produce really helps.
Of the 43 different fruit and vegetable categories tested, these 12 fruits and vegetables had the highest pesticide load, making them the most important to buy or grow organic:
Conventionally-grown strawberries, in particular, were found to be highly toxic due to a poisonous blend of pesticides in a previous 2007 EU study as well.
But be VERY careful as the list above is for fruits and vegetables. Non-organic meats have far higher concentrations of pesticides than all of the fruits and vegetables. And the highest concentration of pesticides is actually in non-organic butter.
So if you can only buy one organic food item it should be butter. Next priority would be meats and once those are addressed, you will want to focus on the fruit and vegetable list above.
Locally-grown organics are your absolute best bet, but bear in mind that many times buying locally-grown food is your best choice even if it’s grown conventionally, as the environmental impact of shipping organic produce across the globe can cancel out many its benefits. Organic farming standards are also questionable in many parts of the world.
These Conventionally-Grown Foods are Low in Pesticide Residue -- But Watch Out For GMO Varieties!
While you may have heard about the most common GMO food sources, such as corn, many people are clueless about JUST HOW MUCH of your produce is now available in GMO varieties. And, perhaps even worse, just how many deliberate GMO field trials are actually going on, all across the world.
A perfect example of the repercussions of this practice can be seen in Hawaii, where non-GMO papaya seed supplies are now so seriously contaminated by GMO seeds that at least 50 percent of organic seeds test positive for GMO!
That means you have a greater than 50/50 chance of buying GMO even when buying organic Hawaiian papaya…
Although the U.S. does not require GMOs to be labeled, you can still find out whether or not your produce is genetically engineered, by looking at its PLU code. For example:
Here are a few other fruits that are LOW in pesticide residue, and therefore good candidates to purchase as conventionally-grown, however, double-check to make sure you’re not buying a GMO variety.
Remember, if you can't afford to purchase all organic food, at least aim to buy produce that has a lower toxic load and is non-GMO. For tips on where to find organic foods, and how to stretch your dollar when shopping for organic, please read through my Related Articles below.
Wow! In its relatively short life span on the web, the www.Mercola.com newsletter, because of its worldwide exposure as well as this learned healthwatch community of correspondents has probably saved more peoples health AND LIVES directly and indirectly than Mother Teresa herself!
One small hint: Dr. Mercola's website costs him millions (with an 'M'). Add to this many hours of sleepless nights to research, maintain, update and weather the verbal assaults, all the 'hired gun' hackers' digital/viral assaults to the website, and the not-so-subtle attacks upon his personal integrity for presenting the truth for all to see online. All of us benefit from Dr. Merc's giant undertaking for FREE. For now, he may be the most UNDER-APPRECIATED doctor on the www, but thankfully, all that is changing exponentially as you read this. Isn't it time that we show our appreciation by supporting any Mercola-backed products that we can use? I stand convicted by my own rhetoric, but I will certainly do better, beginning immediately. Please join me.
Wow, nice plug.
I will also applaud Dr. M for his commitment to health. This particluar artice is a great example of a balanced approach to wellness. Some of us can't spend 20-40% extra to buy everything organic. Thank you for the advice as we decide where to make the investment.
I'm with you, Rajsanand. I don't know where they sourced some of this data from, but it conflicts with some basic knowledge on pesticide use on certain vegetables.(Brocolli,cabbage, etc.) I live near a pineapple growing area,(Yeppoon,Queensland, Oz.) and at a health meeting years ago, a soon to be, ex-pineapple grower gave us the low down on the chemicals they were using on their crop. He said it was to the extent that he would not eat his own pineapples.
I eat as Organic as possible to dodge the 'nasties', but more so for the high nutritional content you get from organic produce, especially if it's grown Bio-dynamically! I'm surprised that there has been very little said on this in the comments so far.
I am a big supporter of Mercola's articles. If some information is incorrect, them it can be noted in our comments. The more we talk on the issue of health, the more chance there is of the truth unfolding.
This is my first comment, even though I have been reading these articles for a few years. I have appreciated the the readers comments over that time.
Keep it up guys!!!!
I here you, Observa! We belong to a Bio dynamic CSA Farm and we love it. As for some things we dont get at the farm, (ie: bananas, broccoli) we'll stick to organic. Like rajsanand said, bananas are artificially ripened with gasses and such. I never mind when my pack of organic bananas are green. I sit them in the sun for a few hours and presto, they turn yellow. Otherwise. they ripen just the same!
Though I was excited to see what 12 foods I could save money on, I am ignoring this list.
I love Mercola's articles and try to take everything with a grain of salt. I do however have an issue with the fact that he brings to light some issues about so many things and yet doesn't give out significant options and answers to the problems he talks about. Dr. Mercola, it would be great if you'd include information regarding what fruits/veg would be better for us to focus on. Now, I know you outlined the certain types of fruits/veg, but wouldn't it be great to go another step and tell us the best places and stores that offer safe produce??? I mean, at least with the cell phone radiating rant you go on constantly, at least you gave a solution in the air tube. I for one enjoy getting all this good information but it needs to be more complete if you REALLY want us to be able to "TAKE CONTROL OF OUR OWN HEALTH". You have the staff that helps with all the research, but all of us do not so... throw us a bone!
Oh, please. I hope Dr. Mercola ignores your comment, coffeemedic. Surely you can see that it is impossible to please everyone! If he even suggests a certain product, some of our fellow mercolians will say that he wants to make money by promoting/selling those products. Now, in your opinion, what should Dr. Mercola do in order to make everybody happy???
To: "THE OBSERVA"
It's very arrogant & presumptuous to assume that you are "correcting" Mercola. These findings are obviously more thorough than just looking at what is being put on the crops. Unless these farms you are speaking of has done thorough testing of the chemical content of the edible portion of the plant, then this information means nothing.
Any foods grown organically DO have more nutrients, because the plants have to develop a more extensive root system. When eating such foods, our bodies also benefit from a greater quantity and quality of the resultant food. One of the reasons there is so much disease nowadays is the fact, that we do not live life way above the minimum requirements for our bodies to easily maintain themselves. We are basically living just a tad above the demarcation line between health and sickness. So any 'hick-up' we experience, puts us under this line and we are ill.
re: where can I buy suitable produce? I have heard great things about Trader Joes, although there aren't any around where I live. I find Whole Foods great but when it comes to produce, expensive. They do offer local and organic produce, though. They have a lot of organic produce at some grocery stores, such as the Texan HEB and Kroger (which has stores by different names all over the country.) Keep an eye on mark downs- I recently bought organic spinach and spring mix for $6 and we've been eating it every day for a week and still have some left over!
I buy from local growers but they typically are not organic. At least you have the opportunity to ask about the specific pesticides ect. I get them at a Farmer's Market which grows a lot of their produce on their own farm behind the store.
The vegetables I use the most,tomatoes,peppers,onions,and zucchini are some of the easiest to grow. If you have a tiny backyard, or even a deck or patio, lots of vegetables can be grown in pots or even hanging planters. Check on hydroponic planters where you can grow vegtables with very little room.Strawberries can also be grown in containers. In my front yard Ive thrown several tomato plants and pepper plants along with basil and oregano right in with flowers in my flower beds. Growing your own,even just a few plants right outside your door is the closest you can get to having locally grown foods.
Heres an idea:
If you belong to a church or a group(4_H,Girl or Boy Scouts)start a gardening project in the summer. Find a vacant plot you can use, rent some farmland, or a members backyard and each person bring a couple plants and everyone contribute in taking care of the garden. Get the kids involved. Let them have their own part of the garden. With the extras hand out baskets to the church elders, donate to your local homeless or womens shelter,a nursing home, or sell as a fundraiser for the club.
It is very important for all of us to read and respond with the knowledge that we individually have. Very well put THE OBSERVA!
scaggs84
It's not true that ALL pesticides are absorbed into fruit and vegetables, only the systemic types. Others break down within a certain time (called a with-holding period) and are supposedly safe to eat. Hah! Trouble is, you don't know which is which, so that could have been in the survey - maybe it was, but it didn't spell it out.
It makes sense to assume skins and rinds are permeable, as Aaltrude points out. But it also makes sense that with those fruits and veges where these outer coverings are discarded, we're discarding a lot of the contaminants with them. Maybe a majority or even all of the contaminants in some cases. Who knows how much of which pesticide makes it through which type skin to be asbsorbed by the pulp that's eaten? That would be far bigger and more tedious study for EWG or anyone, especially as the pesticide industry morphs and constantly concocts new chemicals, just like the pharmaceutical industry. I reassure myself with the thought that skins and rinds of those toward the bottom of the list protect most of the inner food by blocking and holding most of the contaminants. You have to draw your own line on EWG's current list and It's really a graduated transition balanced by personal economics.
And of course this doesn't even address GMOs or soil uptake. The only L-T solution is grow your own.
I agree with the comments about GMO foods. I'd like to avoid them myself. Here's a bit more about how the US is fighting any labeling of GMO:
G5 iMac: What makes you, or anyone else for that matter, assume that out of over 40,000 tests, none of them tested the actual edible portion of the crop for pesticides? If I were to make an assumption, I believe it would be quite safe to assume that out of that extraordinarily high number of tests, there must have been a sufficient amount which addressed the issue of pesticide content in the part that you actually eat. As far as I'm concerned, there is no further debate regarding this issue. It speaks for itself.
Eating organic is not merely a matter of health. It is also a philosohical and moral issue. Eating organic most often means supporting small family owned farms. These farms are being driven out of business by the unfair practices of the large corporate owned farms. Family owned farms know that the land is everything. That translates into taking good care of that land. Corporations care about making money not land or health of their animals. That is why they will cut the beaks off chickens, drug cows to force them into constant milk making, and lobby the government to support their unfair business practices. People have lost sight of the true cost of food. It is the most important thing you can invest in. We have more food in our grocery stores than we can ever eat, but have you noticed what's in those products? Obesity, cancer, a.d.d, and a long list of other health problems in this country are soaring out of control. We must embrace quality over quantity if we want to insure our long term survival on this planet!
Broccoli! Here in Australia conventionally grown broccoli is sprayed 12 or 13 times before it gets to market - I seriously doubt it is sprayed much less in the US - or most places.
The most significant points about the article are the implicit acknowledgement that conventional growing carries health risks and the refusal to acknowledge the positive benefits of organic produce.
Our taste buds tell you something is a LOT better with organic.
I agree with you wholeheartedly!!
hippie
Another factor to consider is the health of the workers in non-organic settings. For example, the life expectancy of banana field workers is significantly less than their peers, due to the toxicity of pesticides used in their commercial farming methods. The extra retail cost seems insignificant in light of the seriousness to our compadres' lives.
Totally agree. To the CEO they are not compadres though. They are units. Dehumanized worker units.
Call me crude and callous if you will, but too many people put far too much interest in the well-being of people in other countries and not nearly enough focus on the extensive problems in America. Fix America first, then we (as citizens, not our government) will be in a far more realistic position to offer assistance to those that are truly in need abroad. In the case of bananas, there is no realistic way to help those who are growing the bananas. You could avoid purchasing their crop, which may be beneficial to your health, but could potentially cost a lot of people their jobs(I, myself would not risk my health for the sake of other peoples employment), or you could purchase their crop & perpetuate the poisoning of the workers, while benefiting those who produce the hazardous chemicals used on the crops, and it is certainly not the place of our government to tell other countries how to regulate their labor conditions. A better life can be had by the people of any nation if they would only stop & think; What would Gandhi do?