If you want to be healthy, wealthy and wise about the produce you eat, you should know when to go organic, as well as when it’s unnecessary. Sometimes it really is worthwhile to open your wallet a bit wider to buy certain organic, pesticide-free fruits and veggies. (At the very least, you should try to always peel non-organic produce—cucumbers, for example—to eliminate most toxins.)
Shop Organic
The Environmental Working Group ranked produce based on what contained the least and most amount of pesticides. The ones with the most pesticides? Strawberries. Close behind comes spinach, with more pesticide residue by weight than all other tested produce. Go organic for both of these, as well as nectarines, apples, peaches, pears, cherries, grapes, celery, tomatoes, bell peppers and potatoes.
Shop Traditional
You can skip buying organic for corn, the best on the list, which is followed by avocados, pineapple and cabbage. Also earning a clean bill of health: onions, frozen sweet peas, papayas, asparagus, mangoes, eggplant, honeydew melons, kiwi, cantaloupe, cauliflower and grapefruit.
