I promised the following post on produce and pesticides when I was on the Dr. Pat Show. Here it is a day late.

I try to feed my children organic food whenever I can. However it isn’t always possible to find organic produce and it always costs more. The USDA regularly tests samples of organic and nonorganic fresh and processed food from markets all over the country for pesticide residues. Take a look at their results. The Environmental Working Group used the USDA’s findings to create a ranking of contamination by type of produce see Food News.

Here’s what they learned:

Highest pesticide contamination: apples, bell peppers, celery, cherries, imported grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes, red raspberries, spinach, and strawberries.

Lowest pesticide contamination: asparagus, avocado, bananas, broccoli, cabbage, kiwi, mango, onions, papaya, pineapple, sweet corn (frozen), and sweet peas (frozen).

I keep this list on my fridge and make sure to buy organic when I am choosing from the high pesticide ranked foods. I know I can buy nonorganic when choosing from the low pesticide list. Lucky for me Super George loves avocados and bananas.

A note on BABY FOOD: Although Gerber has banned most organophosphate insecticides as well as other pesticides from nearly all its products, it is very important to buy organic baby food. Babies are developing so fast that they are particularly vulnerable to toxins.