Updated List of the Most-Contaminated Fruits and Vegetables

We have all been well-informed that eating plenty of fruits and vegetables is good for our health. Yet there is a continuing problem with pesticide contamination. It is recommended that we avoid pesticide exposures that are more than a thousandth of the levels known to be toxic. Yet, a 2009 study by the Environmental Protection Agency found that about 40% of U.S. children have levels of at least one pesticide well above this limit.

The nonprofit organization, Environmental Working Group, while reaffirming that eating a lot of fruits and vegetables is good for our health, suggested that by avoiding the most pesticide-contaminated fruits and vegetables, and choosing the least-contaminated ones, we can lower pesticide residues in our bodies. To assist us in making such choices, the organization just published a list of the dozen most pesticide-contaminated fruits and vegetables, based on testing done in 2009 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration. It also published a list of the 15 least-contaminated fruits and vegetables to provide us with healthy alternatives. The group estimates that by avoiding the “Dirty Dozen” (or buying organic versions of these items) and selecting from the “Clean 15” we can cut our pesticide exposure by 92%.

The Dirty Dozen - Most Contaminated Fruits and Vegetables (number 1 is the worst)

1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Strawberries
4. Peaches
5. Spinach
6. Nectarines (imported)
7. Grapes (imported)
8. Sweet bell peppers
9. Potatoes
10. Blueberries (domestic)
11. Lettuce
12. Kale/collard greens

The Clean 15 - Least Contaminated Fruits and Vegetables (Number 1 is the best)

1. Onions
2. Sweet corn
3. Pineapples
4. Avocados
5. Asparagus
6. Sweet peas
7. Mangoes
8. Eggplant
9. Cantaloupe (domestic)
10. Kiwi
11. Cabbage
12. Watermelon
13. Sweet potatoes
14. Grapefruit
15. Mushrooms

Bottom Line
Obviously, buying all organic produce is the best alternative for health. However, most of us cannot or choose not to incur the major budget hit it would entail. So the next best alternative is to avoid the “dirty dozen” while selecting more items from the “clean 15 “ list. Going organic for selected items can still keep our food budgets from skyrocketing.

Our Changing Eating Patterns

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently published information on the sources of our daily caloric intake between 1970 and 2008, a time period in which our daily caloric consumption increased by 23.2% from 2,169 cals to 2,672 cals, and rates of overweight and obesity have risen sharply. An interactive graphic was created from the data that allows users to scroll along a time-line to see how the amount of daily calories in each food category has changed over time. The following are the percentage changes in calories coming from each food category:

meat, eggs, and nuts: +4.1%
fruit:                         +22.9%
added fat:                 +56.3%
dairy:                          -3.7%
grains:                      +44.7%
vegetables                   -2.4%
added sugar              +14.2%

Some Observations on the Data

In Terms of Absolute Calories

• The biggest contributors by far to our increased daily caloric intake are added fat (231 cals) and grains (193 cals).
• Much more modest contributors to our increased daily caloric intake are added sugar (57 cals), meat/eggs/nuts (19 cals), and fruit (16 calories).
• Our daily consumption of dairy actually decreased by 10 calories and of vegetables by 3 calories.

In Terms of Percentage of Daily Calories

• The only foods that increased as percentages of our diet from 1970 to 2008 are added fats (from 18.9% to 24.0% of daily calories) and grains (from 19.9 % to 23.4% of daily calories).
• Caloric consumption from fruit was steady at 3.2 % of calories.
• All other foods declined as percentages of our daily calories including meat/nuts/eggs (from 21.3% to 18.0% of daily calories), dairy (from 12.3% to 9.6% of daily calories), added sugar (from 18.5% to 17.2% of daily calories), and vegetables (from 5.8% to 4.6% of daily calories).

Bottom Line
The greatest contributors to our increase in caloric consumption are grains and added fat. While we have increased our intake of all other foods except vegetables, grains and fat together account for 84% of our increase in caloric consumption and should therefore be the prime focus of cutting back calories. This makes it clear that the low-fat and low-carb diets are both missing something because the intake of both must be reduced. Any diet that emphasizes what you eat rather than how much you eat is bound to fail. Overweight and obese people who seek to attain a healthy body weight must face the reality that total intake must be lessened. Focusing on eating both fewer grain-based foods and fewer added fats is a good start.

Limiting Your Fruit and Vegetable Pesticide Exposure

The Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to promote public health, reviewed nearly 100,000 reports on fruit and vegetable pesticide residue from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture. After being washed with a USDA high-pressure water system, many of the fruits and vegetables still contained high pesticide residues. The following were the worst.

• Celery
• Peaches
• Strawberries
• Apples
• Domestic blueberries
• Nectarines
• Sweet bell peppers
• Spinach, kale and collard greens
• Cherries
• Potatoes
• Imported grapes
• Lettuce

 In contrast, the following were found to have little or no pesticide residue.

• Onions
• Avocados
• Sweet corn
• Pineapples
• Mango
• Sweet peas
• Asparagus
• Kiwi fruit
• Cabbage
• Eggplant
• Cantaloupe
• Watermelon
• Grapefruit
• Sweet potatoes
• Sweet onions

Bottom Line
Obviously, buying organic fruit and vegetables is the simplest and most direct way to avoid pesticide exposure. Unfortunately, organic produce is usually a lot more expensive than the non-organic variety and most people balk at the price difference. A reasonable compromise is to limit consumption of the most pesticide-tainted fruits and vegetables and preferably buy them in organic form, while buying other fruits and vegetables in non-organic form. The Environmental Working Group states that switching to the organic version of just the produce from the worst-offender list would reduce total dietary pesticide consumption by 80%.