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Take
steps to reduce pesticide exposure
April 29, 04
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
Now
through early fall is the best – and easiest –
time of the year to maintain a health-supporting, waist-trimming
diet. It’s a time to pick your own strawberries, grow
backyard tomatoes and to buy fresh corn on the cob and cantaloupe
at roadside farmers’ stands or the supermarket.
Fresh
fruits and vegetables are critical components of a diet that
prevents disease and promotes health. Most of us should radically
increase the amount we eat.
That said, there’s an added bit of information you should
take into account when you shop: pesticide residues.
It’s not an insurmountable problem, and the presence
of pesticides in produce doesn’t necessarily mean you
have to hold back on double and triple servings of your favorite
fruit or vegetable. It does merit your attention, however.
As I wrote in a column this time last year, little research
is available to document the health risk of eating foods that
carry low amounts of pesticides. However, in the absence of
this knowledge, you – like me – may want to err
on the side of caution and minimize your exposure to these
chemicals. That’s especially so if you are pregnant
or have young children.
What you should know:
Some fruits and vegetables are more likely than others to
contain pesticide residues, and some foods contain higher
concentrations than other foods. Washing produce in running
water – and peeling foods that contain higher amounts
of pesticide residues – makes sense and does help. But
only to a point.
A study conducted by the Environmental Working Group –
a consumer advocacy organization – determined that you
can decrease your intake of pesticide residues by 90 percent
if you avoid the dozen most-contaminated fruits and vegetables
and eat those lowest in residues instead.
Which are the “dirty dozen?”
Apples, bell peppers, celery, cherries, imported grapes, nectarines,
peaches, pears, potatoes, red raspberries, spinach and (arghh!)
strawberries. Ninety percent of strawberries tested contained
pesticide residues.
Now for the good news.
The “cleanest” fruits and vegetables are asparagus,
avocados, bananas, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet corn, kiwi,
mangos, onions and papaya.
There were no detectable residues on 90 percent or more of
the vegetable samples deemed least contaminated, according
to the EWG. Of the cleanest fruits, pesticide residues could
be detected on fewer than 10 percent of mangoes and pineapples.
Washing and peeling fruits and vegetables wouldn’t change
the rankings, the EWG said. The data came from the USDA’s
Pesticide Data Program, which measures pesticide content after
normal preparation, such as peeling bananas and washing and
coring apples.
Download a free, wallet-sized shopper’s guide to the
pesticide content of produce at www.foodnews.org.
Need a strategy so you can keep on eating apples and cherries?
The simplest approach, of course, is to only buy organic produce.
That way, you don’t have to consult a guide or remember
which fruits and veggies to eat with impunity or avoid. In
my case, my family subscribes to a CSA (community supported
agriculture) farm, and today we are expecting our first home
delivery of this season’s locally grown organic produce.
(For information go to www.carolinafarmstewards.org).
Or it might make more sense for you to selectively buy organic.
Since apples, potatoes, and bell peppers are common staples
but are also on the “dirty dozen” list, you could
choose to buy organic varieties of those items at your local
natural foods store. Be sure they’re marked “organic,”
since even natural foods stores sell some conventionally grown
foods. Then save some money and buy foods on the “clean”
list – bananas, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, and sweet
corn – from your regular neighborhood supermarket.
Do what makes sense for you. Bottom line: Don’t let
concerns about pesticides keep you from increasing the amount
of fruits and vegetables in your diet. But shop strategically
to lower your exposure to residues.
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