Now by all means I want to be very upfront about this, we as a country do not eat nearly enough vegetables and they are a very important part of our diets. They provide valuable nutrition that we can not get from other sources, not even multivitamins. That being said there are some things you might not know.

The top 22 most pesticide contaminated veggies

• Sweet bell peppers 86 (highest pesticide load)

• Celery 85

• Lettuce 69

• Spinach 60

• Potatoes 58

• Carrots 57

• Green beans 55

• Hot peppers 53

• Cucumber 52

• Cauliflower 39

• Mushrooms 37

• Winter squash 31

• Tomatoes 30

• Sweet potatoes 30

• Eggplant 19

• Broccoli 18

• Cabbage 17

• Asparagus 11

• Sweet peas 11

• Sweet corn 02

• Avocado 01

• Onions 01

But some of these are the most nutritious veggies you can eat. Topping both lists are common veggies like:

· Spinach

· Red pepper

· Sweet potato

· Carrots

· Broccoli

· Winter squash

· Green pepper

· Sweet peas

· Tomatoes

· Potatoes

So how is this problem best dealt with? Peeling your veggies does help, but minimally and while you are doing that you are also eliminating a large amount of the nutrients, the same goes for washing. The best options; eat a varied diet, not only does this help prevent large amounts of pesticides being consumed but it’s the best way to get all you vitamins and minerals too, always wash all produce, and choose organic whenever possible to reduce exposure to all of these potentially harmful chemicals.

And for those of you out there that consider the ketchup you put on your burger or the side of French fries proper servings of veggies, I have great news, you aren’t exactly wrong. While research says that we should be eating fewer potatoes and a more varied diet in regards to veggies, on average individual’s count 1-2 servings a day from potatoes, french fries really do count. Another easy way to get some veggies is with everyone’s favorite family friendly meal, spaghetti. For the rest of you out there, suck it up and keep the lettuce on that burger you just picked up, and for good measure the pickle and tomato too, veggies are important.

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MomofEandA     | Author | 2008-05-22 10:59:52 This is really sad that you are promoting eating french fries as a vegetable - and we wonder why our children are obese with a variety of health problems. There is no nutritional value to them. They are fried! According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture french fries are considered a fresh vegetable. The new classification applies only to commerce: not nutrition. Re-read that last sentence for clarification - not nutrition.

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