Check out this app designed by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). Probably the most in-depth app available providing info not just on nutrition, but scrutinizes foods by brand–lets you know if there are pesticides present, source of ingredients, and much more.

Go to the EWG site to get the app and more info

Even easier, get  this Dirty Dozen chart showing what foods have the highest levels of pesticide and toxin contamination: Pesticide on Foods. Protect your health, choose organic when possible.

EWG’s 2015 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™:

The Dirty Dozen:

 

From the EWG site: EWG’s 2015 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™

Nearly two-thirds of the 3,015 produce samples tested by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2013 contained pesticide residues – a surprising finding in the face of soaring consumer demand for food without agricultural chemicals.

EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce calculates that USDA tests found a total 165 different pesticides on thousands of fruit and vegetables samples examined in 2013.

The USDA findings indicate that the conventional fruit and produce industries are ignoring a striking market trend: American consumers are voting with their pocketbooks for produce with less pesticide. USDA’s Economic Research Service estimates that the organically produced food sector, though just 4 percent of all U.S. food sales, has enjoyed double-digit growth in recent years. The trend is particularly strong for sales of organic fruits and vegetables, which account for the lion’s share of all organic food sales: USDA economists reported that organic produce sales spiked from $5.4 billion in 2005 to an estimated $15 billion last year and increased by 11 percent between 2013 and 2014.

Pesticides persisted on fruits and vegetables tested by USDA, even when they were washed and, in some cases, peeled.

Read the full story

SOLUTIONS

• Protect your health by avoiding pesticides whenever and as much as possible. We’re exposed to these substances through foods we eat, contaminated water, and also when we come in contact with such substances used in homes and offices.
• Choose organic pesticide-free, non-GMO foods and beverages
• Get your water tested, especially if you have your own private well–make sure nitrate from fertilizer nor pesticides or heavy metals are leaching into your water supply. If needed, get a reverse osmosis water filter system installed in your home.
• If you get ants or bugs in your home in the spring, try making your own nontoxic pest control products with white vinegar, diatomaceous earth and essential oils from lavender, catnip, lemon, basil, thyme, rosemary. Or find a nontoxic natural exterminator in your area.  Also plant these plants in your yard to keep mosquitoes at bay: peppermint, lavender, marigolds, catnip.
• Grow your own foods without pesticides and without toxic fertilizer, try implementing companion planting techniques and composting–a great way to recycle and reduce food waste. Learn more about natural gardening techniques,  biodynamics, and nontoxic pest control measures.