Here are some healthy  food options that we have read about that help people avoid harmful chemicals.

Organic fruits and vegetables are an obvious option and our post concentrates on buying just the ones that have the most pesticide residue. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has found that even after you wash certain fruits and vegetables, they still contain much higher levels of pesticide residue than others.

Super cancer fighter vegetables per a Stanford Doctor include: soy, onions, broccoli, tomatoes and blueberries.

Buy milk that is USDA organic to avoid hormones like bovine growth hormone (rbST or rBGH), antibiotics, pesticides, and other additives. Cows are also given access to pasture.  Some believe that these benefits are not real because milk is tested for antibiotic and pesticide residue.  Others believe that these hormones produce milk with higher-than-normal levels of the insulin-like growth factor called IGF-1.

Processed meats like cold cuts, hot dogs, bacon, and sausages have lots of sodium and nitrates which may cause heart risks or cancer.  Buy nitrate free meats instead.

Organic Eggs have better flavor and the chickens laying them have been feed organic feed. Eating them is a good way to  help minimize risk of exposure to antibiotics, or synthetic hormones and pesticides while obtaining a healthy dose of nutrients.

Eggs need to be fully cooked properly to prevent food poisoning and salmonella contamination. Bacteria can exist inside an uncracked, uncooked whole egg. Avoid eating raw cookie dough with egg or making ice cream with egg or Caesar salad dressing with raw eggs. Cook eggs until the egg yolk and the egg white are firm. Cook egg custard used in eggnog, homemade ice cream, and quiches to at least 160 degrees. Bake egg meringues at 350 degrees for at least 15 minutes on the lower rack of your oven.

Avoid hormones and antibiotics in Beef and Poultry buy purchasing Organic products and grass fed beef.

Stick to whole wheat bread and bread products.

Avoid sugary foods especially ones with added high fructose corn syrup.  Diet soda does not help much as they are still empty calories. Avoid Protein Drinks with heavy metals.

Avoid foods from cans and plastic containers that may have BPA.

Say no to foods with Trans fats.

Avoid microwaved popcorn because to the inside of a microwave popcorn bag is usually coated with a perfluorinated chemical (PFC) called a fluorotelomer that can break down to form perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). PFOA has been linked to cancer and birth defects in animals and preliminary epidemiological studies suggest that a pregnant woman’s exposure to PFOA may reduce her baby’s birth weight.

Get as much fiber in your diet as possible.  Fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes are some great sources.

Cook on non teflon cookware.  BBQ safely.

Be sure to watch the sunscreen and cosmetics you use.

Organic products are more expensive. I was looking for a guide that listed fruits and Veggies that one could save money by moving to non organic on less crucial items. See our post on the definition of organic.

FoodNews, run by the Environmental Working Group, has a list of 43 items with highest pesticide load. Peaches, Apple, Sweet Bell Peppers, Celery, Nectarines, Strawberries are way up there on the buy Organic list.

On the other end are items like Bananas, Kiwi, Asparagus, Sweet Peas-Frozen, Mango, Pineapples, Sweet Corn-Frozen, Avocado, and Onions, that I would consider not going Organic.

A recent article flags high pesticide levels in frozen blueberries, strawberries, and celery. There may be a link to pesticides and ADHD.

Consumer Reports.org also has an article on when it pays to buy organic.

While you will save money, non-organic products do subject farmers and the environment to pesticides.

It gets more complicated.. Recent articles have said that Choosing Organic Pesticides over Synthetic Pesticides May Not Effectively Mitigate Environmental Risk.

Be sure to read our article on organic and biodynamic wines.