Fruits Not to Eat Because of Pesticide & Herbicide Use

Peaches

• Peaches topped the list when tested for pesticide and herbicide amounts after washing, states Mother Jones, mostly due to their thin skin. Peaches get sprayed heavily because the soft, sweet flesh of the fruit attracts a wide variety of insects. Nectarines and other stone fruits are included in the peach category. Chemicals soak easily into the flesh of soft skinned fruits, but many fruits with tougher rinds still become contaminated. If you are trying to decide which fruits are worth a higher organic price tag, peaches definitely make the cut.

Apples

• Apples washed with plain water prove to be the second worst offender when it comes to pesticide and herbicide concentrations. The thick wax coating added to most apples may trap some chemicals and prevent them from washing away. Peeling the apple reduces your risk somewhat, but Earth Easy notes that swapping apples for organic raspberries, raisins or huckleberries works too. These fruits all share similar vitamin and mineral contents. Organic apples become less expensive as fall begins and the main crop comes in.

Strawberries

• The Environmental Working Group has produced much of the research showing that humans ingest multiple pesticides and herbicides through fruit. Strawberries are high on the group's list of fruits to avoid buying or purchase organic due to the discovery of over 50 different chemicals on the fruit. Many of these chemicals are designed to be waterproof to prevent their washing away in the rain. This also means that the pesticides remain on your strawberries after a thorough washing and enter your body when eaten.

Cherries

• When tested, nonorganic cherries contained over 10 different, unique chemicals, reports TreeHugger. Combine these pesticides and herbicides with a thin, permeable skin and eating a cherry may become a health risk. Organic cherries offer other benefits to environment and health conscious consumers. Market fluctuations that raise cherry prices during the year rarely affect the organic market. Organic cherries have a much smaller carbon product level than their nonorganic counterparts. If organic cherries are out of season, try a trustworthy frozen brand.