» Weigh facts on organic | ABQ Journal
Make good choices
If you are concerned about pesticides, consider avoiding the non-organic fruits and vegetables with the highest pesticide residues per the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen: apples, strawberries, grapes, peaches and imported nectarines, celery, spinach, bell peppers, cucumbers, potatoes, cherry tomatoes and hot peppers.
Instead, choose more fruits and vegetables from the Environmental Working Group’s Clean Fifteen: pineapple, papaya, mango, kiwi, cantaloupe, grapefruit, corn, onion, avocado, frozen sweet peas, cabbage, asparagus, eggplant, sweet potatoes and mushrooms.
Organic meat and dairy products also deserve consideration. Antibiotics are commonly added to animal feed to help animals grow more quickly. This practice has resulted in an alarming increase in dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria with more than half of ground turkey, pork chops and ground beef at the grocery store contaminated.
The Stanford researchers found less antibiotic-resistant bacteria in organic chicken and pork than in conventional meat. They also reported more heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids in organic milk.
Organic food benefits farm workers and consumers by reducing pesticide exposure and risk of acquiring dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria.