Posted by on April 29, 2011 - 8:38am

The more I learn about contaminants in the environment, the more I shop at the local organic market---but it can be expensive.  At a recent lecture held at Northwestern on the Environment and Women's Reproductive Health, I learned that some fruits and vegetables are likely more contaminated than others.  So the key to healthier eating on a budget is to go organic with the 'dirty' foods and still buy conventionally farmed produce that is  least likely to be affected by contamination.

The produce likely to be the most contaminated are:   apples, peaches, pears, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, grapes, spinach, lettuce and potatoes.    Splurge a bit on these if you can and go with conventionally farmed products for other fruits and vegetables   Just be sure to  wash them  extra well.   Fruit like melons, oranges and bananas have thick skins that are peeled off, lessening the chance of any toxic effects, and you can save on these.

By the way, the summary of the lecture can be found by going to our home page HERE.