Yikes - Produce & Pesticides

So, recently I feel like I have been bombarded with information about produce and pesticides in parenting magazines, on e-mail subscriptions and in my nutrition class. Is there a message for me there since we eat so much fresh fruit and so many of the items on the 'dirty' (i.e. pesticide susceptible) list?

Given our love of cooking and food, I'll post a list from Parents magazine, which pretty much mirrors the list in my nutrition book.

Foods low in pesticide residue:

• onions, corn, pineapples, avocados, asparagus, sweet peas, mangoes, eggplant, domestic cantaloupe, kiwi, cabbage, watermelon, sweet potatoes, grapefruit, and mushrooms.
• Note: many of these have outer shells or skins that are peeled off before the actual fruit is eaten. I would venture a guess that this is why they make the 'clean' list.

Foods that are susceptible to pesticides and to consider buying organic (oh sigh...they cost more, I know!)

• apples, celery, strawberries, blueberries, lettuce, kale/collard greens, potatoes, sweet bell peppers, imported grapes, imported nectarines, spinach, and peaches.
• Note: If you do not buy organic, the articles say to wash the food very well. "Rubbing it or swirling it in a colander under tap water for at least 15 seconds reduces pesticide deposits by 30 percent." (Food and Chemical Toxicology Report in Parents Magazine).

Last but not least, consider trying to buy fruits grown in the U.S. because we have strict regulations on pesticides whereas other countries (i.e. Mexico) do not have the same restrictions and it is a great thing to support our farmers! As such, an illegal pesticide in the U.S. may be sold to another country, used on their produce and that produce resold back to United States consumers (information taken from my nutrition book).