Children are often advised to eat vegetables because they are good for their growth and health. However, an American study revealed that a vegetable highly valued for its virtues is the one that contains the most traces of pesticides.
Vegetables, in particular green vegetables, are known to be good for your health. However, a study carried out by the Environmental Working Group of the American NGO (EWG) draws our attention to the level of pollution from pesticides of a particular green vegetable. It turns out that this food is anchored in the eating habits of the French, because it is highly appreciated. Parents feed it to their children because it is essential for their development and growth. What vegetable is this?
Beware of contaminated spinach
A green vegetable full of pesticides
During its study, the EWG examined many fruits and vegetables. It found that 15 in particular have reduced levels of pesticide residues and 12 others have worrying levels. Of the 12 fruits and vegetables that contain very high levels of pesticides, spinach is at the top. thespinach it is in fact the green vegetable most contaminated by pesticides and even this product occupies a special place in the hearts of the French.
A beneficial vegetable that has become dangerous
Many parents use ingenuity to get their children to eat spinach. This vegetable has many virtues, especially promoting adolescent growth. The study conducted by the EWG is not intended to denigrate the benefits of spinach, but to warn of the danger contaminated spinach. As a reminder, many diseases are caused by pesticides.
A palliative solution
Don’t worry, it’s not necessary to permanently remove spinach from your diet eat, because they remain good for your health, at least those that are not contaminated. As stated Closer, You can continue to consume this green vegetable as long as it is organic. In fact, the organic vegetables present less risk of being contaminated and 85% of them are “free from harmful residues”. Spinach is not the only vegetable indexed by the survey of the American NGO.
Other foods contaminated with pesticides
The fruits
Of the 12 fruits and vegetables indexed by the EWG, spinach is the first vegetable, but it does not occupy the first place in the ranking. Here strawberry it is the fruit that is at the head of the ranking of the most contaminated foods. It is not really a surprise to find strawberries at the top of this classification, because this product is often the subject of health alert. Strawberries and cherries are also part of the summer fruits the most contaminated by pesticides. Also, it is important to note that there are more fruits than vegetables on the list published by the EWG.
Kale
Like spinach, kale it is a beneficial vegetable highly appreciated for its taste. Unfortunately it also has a rather worrying level of pesticide residues. Of the samples tested by the American NGO, more than 92% contained traces of various pesticides. We find in different facts residue of pesticides in our food, which may explain why the EWG found 18 types of residues in a single sample of kale.
Peppers
Peppers are among the bad performers with a fairly high level of residues pesticides. However, there is room for nuances, because these are the Red peppers who are most affected. Green peppers contain fewer traces of pesticides than their red counterparts for the simple reason that they remain in production for a shorter period of time. For pepper lovers, the solution is obvious, they have to find organic products.