- Organic vs. Inorganic
- How Are Toxins Absorbed?
- Reducing Your Toxicity
- Breaking Down the “Dirty Dozen Plus”
- What Are The Effects of Organophosphates and Organochlorines?
- What Can I Do To Reduce Toxic Exposure?
Toxicity may result from long-term exposure to low levels of pesticides (on your food) and other toxins (in your environment). Always purchase organic options when you can, which will reduce your family’s exposure to toxic pesticides.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “laboratory studies show that pesticides can cause health problems, such as birth defects, nerve damage, cancer, and other effects that might occur over a long period of time.” These effects can be especially harmful to children because they weigh less and their bodies are still developing.
Organic vs. Conventional
Each year, the Environmental Working Group releases its “Dirty Dozen” — a list of fruits and vegetables most likely to contain pesticide residue. In the past few years, this list has grown. It is now called the “Dirty Dozen Plus.”
The EPA has tested and approved the use of more than 1,000 synthetic pesticides — all of which are poisonous if exposed to excess.
Organically grown foods contain significantly fewer pesticides than conventional foods. Even areas with limited access to truly organic foods can now benefit from sources that offer a wide variety of toxin-free, all-natural whole foods.
How Are Toxins Absorbed?
People absorb toxins in 1 of 3 ways: inhaling, consuming, and absorbing through our skin. Eating foods containing the residues of pesticides and other toxins is the most common cause of increased toxicity.
Though peeling and washing your fresh produce is an intelligent practice, it will not completely rid your fruits and vegetables of pesticides. Toxins — especially pesticides — can seep into the flesh of a fruit or vegetable. Simply scrubbing the outside of a contaminated apple often will not prevent toxins from entering your body.
Reducing Your Toxicity
A recent study from the Harvard School of Public Health demonstrated that eating organic produce can significantly reduce bodily toxicity. The study provided 5 consecutive days’ worth of organic food to children who typically ate a non-organic, conventional diet.
After just 5 days, almost all pesticides had disappeared from the subjects’ urine samples. “This shows there definitely is a beneficial effect of eating organic produce,” said study leader Dr. Alex Lu, associate professor of environmental exposure biology.
Breaking Down the “Dirty Dozen Plus”
Each of these foods — when conventional, not organic — made the list because test results revealed alarming levels of pesticide residue. Here’s what made the list in 2020:
- Strawberries- More than 90 percent of samples tested positive for residues of two or more pesticides.
- Spinach- On average, kale and spinach samples had 1.1 to 1.8 times as much pesticide residue by weight than any other crop tested.
- Kale- Multiple samples of kale showed 18 different pesticides
- Nectarines- More than 90 percent of samples tested positive for residues of two or more pesticides.
- Apples- More than 90 percent of samples tested positive for residues of two or more pesticides.
- Grapes
- Peaches
- Cherries- More than 90 percent of samples tested positive for residues of two or more pesticides.
- Pears
- Tomatoes
- Celery
- Potatoes
Peppers aren’t among the Dirty Dozen, but because they did test positive for pesticides known to be toxic to the brain, so they are included in the Dirty Dozen Plus™ list.
Between 2010 and 2012, USDA tests found peppers contained acephate, chlorpyrifos and oxamyl – toxic insecticides that are banned from use on some crops but still permitted on hot peppers.
Choose organic peppers or cook conventionally grown peppers before eating them, as heating food can reduce pesticide levels.
What Are The Effects of Organophosphates and Organochlorines?
According to the EWG, “Tests in 2008 found that some domestically-grown summer squash – zucchini and yellow crookneck squash – contained residues of harmful organochlorine pesticides (like DDT) that were phased out of agriculture in the 1970s and 1980s but that linger on some farm fields.”
Both organophosphates and organochlorine are “exceptionally toxic to the nervous system,” and may cause many of the following:
Organochlorine pesticides have been strongly linked to increased risk of breast cancers, according to the Oxford Journal “Toxicological Sciences.”
What Can I Do To Reduce Toxic Exposure?
Shop organic and take the steps to detoxify your body. This does not mean you must immediately drop everything for a juice cleanse, but you should make efforts to utilize glutathione, vitamin D, and other powerful antioxidants that protect your body.
By eating clean, organic foods and choosing high-quality, whole-food supplements, you can help your family avoid the pain and illness associated with chronic toxicity.
Pesticide-Free Produce
Assembled by the Environmental Working Group, this list of the least contaminated fresh fruits and veggies is the counterpart of the EWG’s “Dirty Dozen Plus” and is called the “Clean Fifteen”.
- Avocados
- Sweet Corn*
- Pineapple
- Onions
- Papaya*
- Sweet Peas Frozen
- Eggplant
- Asparagus
- Cauliflower
- Cantaloupe
- Broccoli
- Mushrooms
- Cabbage
- Honeydew Melon
- Kiwi
* “A small amount of sweet corn, papaya and summer squash sold in the United States is produced from genetically modified seeds. Buy organic varieties of these crops if you want to avoid genetically modified produce.”
Compared to dozens of other types of produce, these fruits and vegetables contained the lowest levels of pesticide residues. Many of the foods making this list have peels, skins, or husks to prevent these kinds of toxins from seeping in. Still, thoroughly hand washing each of these prior to cooking or eating is considered a wise practice.
One factor this list does not account for in ranking is the likelihood of genetic modification. Genetically modified foods are linked to a number of long-term health conditions and we recommend buying organic produce as often as possible.
Over time, buying and eating organic produce lowers your bodily toxicity and can help repair hormonal imbalances in your body. Restoring proper hormone function is essential to preventing and correcting health issues like weight loss resistance, which is often associated with type 2 diabetes. By shopping smarter and eating better, you can drastically improve your family’s quality of life.
Having a hard time finding or affording organic produce? Consider a service like Misfits Market, who will deliver “uglier” organic produce straight to your door for often much lower prices than the grocery store!
