Featured resource: Produce guide

Each year, the EWG releases a Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce, ranking conventionally produced fruits and veggies by their pesticide count. You can read up on their methodology here - The foods are all washed or peeled just like they would be at home and then tested by the USDA. It turns out that even after being washed, much of our produce contains surprisingly high levels of pesticides. Why might you want to avoid pesticides? They've been linked to brain and nervous system toxicity, cancer, and hormone disruption, and are especially harmful to children - Check out the "What do human studies tell us about risks to children?" section on this page.  

You can dramatically reduce your consumption of pesticides by opting for organic produce. Buying everything organic isn't always affordable or attainable, which is where the EWG guide comes in - If you're only able to buy a small portion of your produce organic, opt to buy the items on the Dirty Dozen list organically-grown. If you'd like to buy most of your produce organic but save money where you can, go ahead and get everything on the Clean 15 list conventionally-grown. You can also creatively substitute Clean 15 items in place of Dirty Dozen items - Try sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes, or use eggplant in a recipe instead of squash.

At the end of the day, the benefits that come from fruits and veggies outweigh the risks of consuming pesticides, so while it makes sense to reduce our pesticide exposure whenever possible, don't let this stop you from eating lots of delicious fresh produce!