While this may seem shocking to some, not all farmers in this country are concerned with producing healthy food.  Big agriculture means big business where profit margins reign over potential problems like a few endocrine disruptors or neurotoxins with our serving of Thanksgiving mashed potatoes.

Organic farmers do not use use toxic pesticides like malathion, many of which lack proper testing for environmental impact as well as human impact.  We tend to accumulate toxins that are not readily excreted in our fat tissue, and this can end up harming our future generations by concentrating in the placental tissue and cord blood.  Babies are even less equipped to deal with chemicals and can have a number of health problems, from allergies to autism.

The good news, in theses cash-tight times, is that some veggies are spared the brunt of the spray:

  1. Onions
  2. Avocados
  3. Sweet corn
  4. Pineapples
  5. Mango
  6. Sweet peas
  7. Asparagus
  8. Kiwi fruit
  9. Cabbage
  10. Eggplant
  11. Cantaloupe
  12. Watermelon
  13. Grapefruit
  14. Sweet potatoes
  15. Sweet onions

The worst, in order of pesticide load:

  1. Celery
  2. Peaches
  3. Strawberries
  4. Apples
  5. Domestic blueberries
  6. Nectarines
  7. Sweet bell peppers
  8. Any greens: spinach, kale, chard, collards
  9. Cherries
  10. Potatoes
  11. Imported grapes
  12. Lettuce

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/top-12-toxic-fruits-and-vegetables.html#ixzz1Gbzd4eFX

More websites for detailed explanations and information about threats to the safety of our environment and what you can do:

Environmental Working Group  -  http://www.ewg.org/

Foodnews:  http://www.foodnews.org/

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