Written by Maia, President & Founder

We all grew up hearing that we should “eat more fruits and veggies.” Now, as parents, we often go to great lengths to get a “rainbow of color” into our kids’ diets.

Most of us struggle with this—when it comes to vegetables, my kids will only consistently eat broccoli and asparagus, so it’s hardly a rainbow!

As many of you know, there is a dark side to fruits and vegetables.

Conventionally grown produce is often laden with agricultural chemicals. This includes toxic pesticides that the government has yet to ban, despite incredibly strong scientific evidence of harm to human health.

(For more on this, check out “Poison Fruit,” Sharon Lerner’s recent article about Dow Chemical’s efforts to prevent the government from banning chlorpyrifos, a widely used pesticide linked to autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Warning: Don’t read before bedtime—you may be too angry and scared to sleep!)

The good news is that there are simple (and affordable!) steps you can take to reduce the pesticides in your diet.

How to Reduce Pesticides in Your Family’s Diet

1. Buy organic produce—where it counts.

I know, I know…organic produce is often more expensive—like, much more expensive—than conventionally grown fruits and vegetables.

I don’t recommend that you blow your monthly budget on organic fruits and vegetables. Instead, spend your fruit and veggie dollars strategically by using the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 lists.

Buy Organic to Reduce Pesticides

EWG’s 2016 Dirty Dozen List

Strawberries

Apples

Peaches
Nectarines

Celery
Grapes
Cherries

Spinach

Tomatoes

Sweet bell peppers

Cherry tomatoes

Cucumbers

These lists guide you to buy organic versions of the fruits and vegetables that tend to have the highest levels of pesticides, and buy conventional versions of the cleaner ones.

These changes matter. Switching to more organic produce has a positive effect on pesticide levels in the body, and this effect happens in a matter of days, according to research by Chensheng Lu and colleagues.

2. Wash produce wisely to reduce pesticides.

My clients ask me all the time how they can wash fruit to reduce pesticides in their kids’ diets.

Short answer: you can’t simply wash (or peel) away pesticides, but simple washing methods still matter.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) says that washing produce is not the best way to reduce pesticide exposure. Their pesticide risk rankings are based on tests of fruits and vegetables “as eaten,” or washed and peeled as appropriate for the specific type of produce. The EWG says that pesticides can be in the whole fruit, not just on the outside.

That said, you should still wash produce before eating it. Here are some tips:

1. Use cold, running water (soaking or dunking just re-exposes produce to the stuff you’re trying to wash away).
2. Scrub the surface of root vegetables and other firm-skinned produce.
4. Dry with a clean cloth.
5. Peel when appropriate, and remove the outer leaves of leafy produce.

What about fruit and veggie washes and DIY tricks like soaking produce in a vinegar solution to reduce pesticides?

I don’t generally think it’s worth the extra expense or effort. Store-bought produce washes often have sketchy ingredients, although this one is safe.

As for vinegar as a way to reduce pesticides, it has to be used in a pretty high concentration (like 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water) to kill some microbes, and I couldn’t find compelling evidence that it reduces pesticide levels better than washing with water alone.

Unless you are dealing with a compromised immune system, the tips I offer above are the easiest and most effective ways to get your produce clean.

3. Filter your water.

Because agricultural chemicals have been so widely used for many decades, they are present in our environment, including our drinking water. This is one of the many reasons that I recommend that people use a comprehensive water filter in their homes.

4. Lose shoes at the door.

You’ve probably heard me say this before, but one of the simplest things you can do to decrease the toxic load in your house (and keep it a little cleaner!) is to make sure that everyone removes their shoes at the door.

Otherwise, you’re tracking in all kinds of gross stuff, including chemicals used in gardens, farms, lawns and parks; animal feces; lead-contaminated dust; etc.

If you have dogs or other indoor-outdoor animals, wipe down their paws at the door.

These habits are especially important if you have rugs and carpets (toxins can linger in the fibers for years, even if you clean diligently) and if you have young children who spend a lot of time on the floor.

Stay sane,

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Phthalates in Food: 7 Ways to Reduce Your Exposure 5 Simple Ways to Pack Healthy, Yummy Lunches Pesticides in Organic Oatmeal & Oat Products 3 Easy Ways to Have a Less Toxic Home Paleo Carrot Cake Recipe (and My Take on the Caveman Diet)