If you're trying to be healthy by eating a salad for dinner tonight, it may not be as good for your body as you think, a new report warns.

A list of the "dirtiest" and most chemically contaminated fruits and vegetables have been released by the U.S. Environmental Working Group, a non-profit group focused on public health.

This week, CNN is running a series called Toxic America. From its report:

"It's critical people know what they are consuming," the Environmental Working Group's Amy Rosenthal said. "The list is based on pesticide tests conducted after the produce was washed with USDA high-power pressure water system. The numbers reflect the closest thing to what consumers are buying at the store."

The group scoured nearly 100,000 produce pesticide reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to determine what fruits and vegetables have the highest and lowest amounts of chemical residue. The group says buying organic will help reduce the amount of chemicals, such as pesticides, people ingest.

"You can reduce your exposure to pesticides by up to 80% by buying the organic version of the Dirty Dozen," Ms. Rosenthal said.

The "Dirty Dozen" list includes: celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, blueberries, nectarines, bell peppers, spinach (includes kale and collard greens), cherries, potatoes, grapes and lettuce.

The group has also released a list of "Clean 15?? foods that had the least chemical residue. Most of them have skin that are taken off before consumption. They include: onions, avocados, sweet corn, pineapples, mango, sweet peas, asparagus, kiwi, cabbage, eggplant, cantaloupe, watermelon, grapefruit, sweet potatoes and sweet onions.


Source: nationalpost.com