Some conventional foods are as low in chemicals and high in nutrients as are organics such as bananas and oranges where the majority of chemical residues are discarded with the skin. So what are we to do? An article in Consumer Reports revealed data from the USDA’s labs indicating that even after washing, certain fruits and veggies have higher levels of pesticide residues than others. Their suggestion is to buy organic for these so called ‘dirty dozen’.

Buy organic of these twelve when possible:
Apples, bell peppers, celery, cherries, imported grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes, red raspberries, spinach, strawberries

Fruits and veggies that don’t need to be organic from a pesticide level:
Asparagus, avocado, banana, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet corn, kiwi, mangos, onions, papaya, pineapples, peas.