
I was talking to a friend this weekend who said she rarely washes her produce, and frankly, I was shocked. She said that since she always buys organic, she doesn't have to worry about pesticides, and wonders if washing really does any good anyway.
In fact, washing fruits and vegetables makes a difference whether you're
buying organic or not. Even if your produce hasn't been touched by pesticides, it has been touched by lots of people and traveled through many different places.

With all this talk about getting our daily
servings of fruits and veggies, we may forget about other concerns on those foods aside from nutrients: pesticides, some of which have been classified as cancer-causing agents.
I eat a lot of fruits and veggies so I do my best to avoid pesticides but some foods have more than others, and it's hard to keep track. In an effort to make your next trip to the grocery store a little easier, here are the top
twelve fruits and vegetables that contain the greatest amounts of pesticide residue:
- peaches
- strawberries
- apples
- spinach
- nectarines
- celery
- pears
- cherries
- potatoes
- sweet bell peppers
- raspberries
- grapes (imported)
Looking to get the least pesticides in your diet.

In case you aren't already in love with strawberries, I have some reasons to get the love fest with this berry started!!. They are a low calorie food loaded like a billionaire, with
antioxidants known as
phenols. These phenols not only give strawberries their irresistible red color, but also provide heart-protective, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory properties to this berry.