Grocery Shopping List (Organics)

A concern for health should be directing you to natural food stores selling the following 15 fruits and vegetables as ORGANICALLY grown to limit toxic chemical residues such as pesticides. With pesticides, the best approach is to limit exposure rather than attempt to prevent absorption after ingestion or expel later from the blood. ref  Activated charcoal has been tried in the past to prevent absorption of poisons, but the amount needed to ingest with the poison is difficult to swallow. And activated charcoal is not discerning between what else it will absorb and eliminate out of the digestive tract.

Of the 48 different fruit and vegetable categories tested by the EWG for the 2013 guide, the following 15 fruits and vegetables had the highest pesticide load, making them the most important to buy or grow organically:

Apples	Celery	Cherry tomatoes
Cucumbers	Grapes	Hot peppers
Nectarines (imported)	Peaches	Potatoes
Spinach	Strawberries	Sweet bell peppers
Kale	Collard greens	Summer squash

In contrast, the following foods were found to have the lowest residual pesticide load, making them the safest bet among conventionally grown vegetables. Note that a small amount of sweet corn and most Hawaiian papaya, although low in pesticides, are genetically engineered (GE). If you’re unsure of whether the sweet corn or papaya is GE, pick organic varieties:  

Asparagus	Avocado	Cabbage
Cantaloupe	Sweet corn (non-GMO)	Eggplant
Grapefruit	Kiwi	Mango
Mushrooms	Onions	Papayas (non-GMO. Most Hawaiian papaya is GMO)
Pineapple	Sweet peas (frozen)	Sweet potatoes  CAUTION: While organically grown foods are lower in chemical residues and place less stress on the environment and the body to eliminate toxins, they can potentially be higher in heavy metals due to the use of organic fertilizers. A trade off in benefits versus risks. Balance is important here. Ideally, organic farmers need to test their crops for heavy metal contamination and change organic fertilizer sources if any is found. Heavy metals are unfortunately, almost ubiquitous to everywhere, soil, water, air, and organic fertilizers. While this represents a true dilemma, the detrimental effects from too many chemicals in the environment is well established and may actually trump the occasionally few "extra" heavy metals in the diet. Plus: Remember, the heavy metal contamination levels in the majority of organic foods (or any foods and supplements) are below the Federal limits for safety, so the issue is not form any one food or type, but from the accumulation effect of many small amounts added together. Limiting exposure is key. Farmers know about this possibility and take measures to control and eliminate. There are nutrients that safeguard by limiting the absorption of heavy metals in the diet.  While in the environment, all organisms suffer heavy chemical effects from insects, birds, to farm animals and the plants they all consume. Plants Vitamin C is one nutrient that limits chemical damage by speeding breakdown and elimination of heavy metals out of the body. Fibers are important too. Another vital reason for vegetables and legumes. Oh! Beans. Current Recalls of potential and contaminated Foods and OTC Drugs found here It is quite long.