KNOW THIS: Up to 90 different pesticides can be found on one food alone.

WHY? Unfortunately that’s the price we pay for cheap fruit and veg.

WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT IT? Reduce your exposure to pesticides by 80% by switching just 18 foods.

A dozen apples and ninety pesticides please.

You might have guessed by now that I’m a huge advocate of organic living. However, I’m also a huge advocate of saving money. And the two just don’t go together.

If I were rich, I’d buy organic everything, but I’m not. So instead I’ll choose the organic option when there’s a good chance the standard option could have a chance of slowly poisoning me (see list below).

Every year the Environmental Working Group releases its dirty dozen – a list of foods high in pesticides and that you should always buy organic when possible. They analyse data from the Department of Agriculture concerning pesticide residue, and rank foods based on how much pesticide residue they contain.

The group estimates that by switching to organic when buying the foods listed, individuals can reduce exposure to pesticides by 80%. So by spending a bit more just on these products, you could be saving your health.

Foods to buy organic (2017):

Strawberries

Spinach

Nectarines

Apples. Residue is also found in apple juice and apple sauce.

Peaches

Pears

Cherries

Grapes and raisins. I would also always opt for an organic wine and vinegar too.

Celery

Tomatoes

Bell peppers

Potatoes

+ Cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, snap peas, blueberries, hot peppers.

As a general rule, foods with a skin contain less pesticide residue as the skin forms a protective layer. So foods like banana, avocado, onions, mango, melon etc I don’t bother buying organic. However these foods all appear in the top 50 list, so if you can afford to, buy organic everything!

Otherwise, it’s worth spending a few seconds in the supermarket to consider whether the non-organic version is likely to add a few unwanted ingredients to your meal.