Passover 2022: These are the 12 most polluted vegetables and fruits that exist

Every year a list is published in the US that reveals who is the dirtiest fruit and vegetable there is and who is the cleanest. So who is the most polluted with sprays and who is the cleanest?

Walla!

health

10/04/2022

Sunday, 10 April 2022, 06:47 Updated: 07:34

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Revenge of the Strawberries (Photo: Reuters, Editing: Tal Reznik)

Vegetables and fruits are recommended for a healthy diet, but often it is a leaf and a thorn in it.

Strawberries and spinach, two of the healthiest - continue to top the annual list of "12 dirty" fruits and vegetables containing the highest levels of pesticides, followed by three greens - kale, chard and mustard - nectarines, apples, grapes and hot peppers, according to the Buyers' Guide For the 2022 Environmental Protection Agency Working Group on U.S.-made pesticides.

Cherries this year came in eighth place on the list of the 12 most polluted foods, with peaches, pears, celery and tomatoes topping the list.

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To the full article

But do not stop eating these foods, which are full of vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants needed to fight chronic diseases.

"If the things you like to eat are on the 'Dirty Dozen' list, we recommend buying organic versions if you can," Alexis Tamkin, a toxicologist at the EWG with expertise in toxic chemicals and pesticides, told CNN.

"Several studies that have been reviewed have examined what happens when people switch to a completely organic diet," she said.

"Concentrations and measurements of pesticides go down very quickly."

surprising?

Top of the Dirt List - Spinach (Photo: ShutterStock)

Consumers can also consult EWG's "Clean Fifteen" - "15 cleaners" - a list of products with the lowest amount of pesticides.

Nearly 70 percent of the fruits and vegetables on the list had no detectable pesticide residues, while just under 5 percent had residues of two or more pesticides, the report said. Avocados had the lowest levels of pesticides among the 46 foods tested, followed by Sweet corn, pineapple, onion and papaya.

Multiple pesticides

The EWG report, which has been published annually since 2004, uses test data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to rank the 46 most contaminated foods and the least pesticide residues.

Ministry of Agriculture workers prepare the food as consumers would prepare - rinsing, peeling or scrubbing - before inspecting each item.

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Numerous samples of the 46 fruits and vegetables included in the report were found to be positive for multiple pesticides, including insecticides and fungicides.

More than 90 percent of "strawberries, apples, cherries, spinach, nectarines

and grapes were found to be positive for residues of two or more pesticides," the report said.

And heart-healthy mustard, followed by 101 different pesticides on pepper and hot pepper. In general, "spinach samples had 1.8 times more pesticide residue in weight than in any other crop tested," the report said.

Be sure to wash thoroughly (Photo: ShutterStock)

How can it be preserved?

Aside from organic eating, there are a number of actions consumers can take to reduce exposure to pesticides - and many other toxins such as heavy metals - that can be found in, but not limited to, agricultural produce.

Do not use soap, detergents or rinsing commercial products - water is the best choice.

"Soap and household cleaners can be absorbed into fruits and vegetables, despite thorough rinsing, and can cause nausea," say the Food and Drug Administration.

Buying food purchased directly from local farmers can reduce the risk of exposure to pesticides, experts say.

Prices go down when fruits and vegetables are in season and plentiful (see Strawberry Value Last Winter).

This is a good time to purchase organic foods in bulk, then freeze them or use them in the future.

• health

• Nutrition and diet

• Preventive nutrition

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• vegetables

• fruits

• Chemicals

• diet