Back in 2007, I wrote about the top foods to avoid commercially because of pesticides, and why you should try to aim for organic for certain foods.
But summer is approaching… which means seasonal fruits and vegetables.
Basically, anything sweet and yummy for humans is also sweet and yummy for bugs and insects. That means a high use of pesticides are required to keep the bugs out.
Conversely, anything with a thick skin and/or foods not so yummy are fairly low in pesticides.
Foodnews.org has a great infographic which you can print and cut out for your wallet the next time you go shopping.
I’m not telling you to go out and pay 10 bucks for a small bucket of blueberries at Whole Paycheck Foods.
It’s all about SMART food choices.
#2 on the “Clean 15” List is arguably become the 2nd worst food (wheat considered #1, Soy #3) to consume because the plant’s new, high-yield version is genetically engineered to be resilient to insects. US & Australian corn crops have been genetically engineered w/ a bacteria that allows the plant to internally produce its own pesticide; no additional chemical surface application necessary. It is so effective at producing pesticides that the FDA lists the new strain as an effective, industrial pesticide not as a food for consumption (there also seems to be quasi-financial gains by the corn farmers for their product to be listed as such).
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/gm-maize-has-polluted-rivers-across-the-united-states-2091300.html