Many people like the idea of buying organic produce because they believe it’s more nutritious and safer to eat than conventional fruits and veggies that may have been grown with synthetic fertilizers or sprayed with pesticides.

However, organic foods — which can cost up to 50 percent more than conventional produce — can be out of reach for many Americans.

Even fruits and vegetables with the highest levels of pesticides fall within ranges deemed safe by government agencies, according to the United Fresh Produce Association. But critics say there isn’t enough research on the long-term effects of even low-levels of pesticide exposure, especially on children.

When trying to make the healthiest choices for your family, how can you know which organic fruits and veggies are worth the price? The Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit consumer research group in Washington, D.C., has developed a list ranking pesticide exposure for some of the most popular fruits and vegetables.

Apples
Buy organic?
Yes. Studies have shown that pesticides pool in the valleys on an apple’s top and bottom. They’re also absorbed down through the stem into its core. Among fruits, apples pack the highest level of pesticides overall, according to the Environmental Working Group’s rankings.

Cut your risk:
Besides buying organic, you can reduce exposure by coring and cutting out the apple’s top and bottom. Peeling can help too, although much of the fruit’s nutrition and fiber resides in the peel. Washing under tap water and scrubbing with a produce brush removes some, but not all, pesticide residue.

Avocados
Buy organic?
No. Avocados are protected by thick, tough skins, making them one of the most pesticide-free fruits. Cut your risk:
While avocados have low levels of detectable pesticides, it’s still important to wash the skins under running water before peeling them to get rid of dirt and bacteria. After rinsing, dry the fruit with a clean cloth or paper towel.

Bananas
Buy organic?
No. Growing up to 30 feet off the ground, protected by tough skins, bananas have one of the lowest pesticide loads of any fruit. Only kiwis, mangos and pineapples claim less pesticide exposure.Cut your risk:
Peel it!

Cherries
Buy organic?
Yes. Domestic cherries are heavily contaminated with pesticides. Worms love them and orchard growers douse them with pesticides, which collect in their nooks and valleys. Cut your risk:
Wash them in running tap water. There isn’t much more you can do to reduce your risk — besides buying organic.

Grapes
Buy organic?
No, as long as you buy domestic. Most domestically grown grapes are fine, if washed in running water. Grapes imported during the U.S. off-season tend to register higher levels because international controls on pesticides are often less rigorous than domestic ones.

Cut your risk:
Try to avoid buying imported varieties. How to tell? If it’s being sold in winter, it’s likely imported from a summery climate abroad.

Nectarines
Buy organic?
Yes. Insects love nectarines for their juicy sweetness, so they’re heavily sprayed with pesticides that infiltrate their thin skin.Cut your risk:
Other than washing with a vegetable brush and peeling the skin, there’s little you can do. If you can afford it, go organic.

Peaches
Buy organic?
Yes. Peaches have very thin skin and are sprayed when they’re young and tiny. As a result, the peach absorbs pesticides as it grows. Among fruits, peaches had the highest likelihood of multiple pesticides on a single sample, according to the Environmental Working Group.

Cut your risk:
Washing under running water and peeling will help a bit, but won’t purge the pesticides in the fruit’s flesh. Organic is your best bet on this one.

Pears
Buy organic?
Yes. The pesticide content in pears is almost as high as in apples, but their skin is thinner, so they tend to absorb more of the chemicals directly into the flesh.

Cut your risk:
Wash them well with a vegetable brush in running water. Chop out a generous section of the core and the surrounding tissue.

Strawberries
Buy organic?
Yes. Strawberries grow low to the ground, requiring a high pesticide load to keep away bugs that live in the soil.

Cut your risk:
Cut out the stalk and core — the entire white part — because strawberries absorb pesticides through the stalk. Be sure to wash them well.

Sweet bell peppers
Buy organic?
Yes. Growers tend to douse peppers with pesticides, and though their skin is hard and thick, it’s oily and is sometimes even waxed. That makes it hard to remove pesticide residue. Peppers have the highest pesticide load of any vegetable, according to the Environmental Working Group. Since the skin is the tasty part of the pepper, organic is best.

Cut your risk:
Choose red, yellow and orange peppers, which are more often grown in hothouses than outside. They likely contain less pesticide than green peppers, which are typically grown outdoors.

Celery
Buy organic?
Yes, unless you’re vigilant about preparation and washing. Pesticides concentrate in the bottom of the bunch of celery stalks, where water collects. Among vegetables, celery had the highest of percentage of samples test positive for pesticides, as well as being the most likely to contain multiple pesticides, according to the Environmental Working Group.Cut your risk:
Chop off the bottoms of the celery stalks and wash the leaves and stalks in running water.

Broccoli
Buy organic?
No. Along with cabbage, broccoli ranks among vegetables that contain the lowest pesticide levels. It’s grown in cooler weather when pests haven’t yet hit with force.

Cut your risk:
Wash broccoli well under running water and cut off the stalks, which may have soaked in pesticides collected in the soil.

Lettuce
Buy organic?
Yes. They’re ground-huggers that bulk up on pesticide-laden water. They have the third highest pesticide load of any vegetables, according to Environmental Working Group.

Cut your risk:
With its bumpy leaves, lettuce is notoriously hard to wash. But it is worth rinsing it under running water to remove any pesticide you can. Removing the outer layers of iceberg lettuce may also somewhat reduce your exposure.

Spinach
Buy organic?
Yes. Spinach is a ground-hugger like lettuce and drinks in pesticides through its stalks. Unlike lettuce, you can’t remove its outer layers.

Cut your risk:
Rinse thoroughly under running water. This will help get rid of dirt and bacteria, although washing won’t remove the already absorbed pesticides.

Potatoes
Buy organic?
Yes. Potatoes grow in or just above the ground, so farmers pour on the chemicals to ensure a harvest. Much of the pesticides are ingested through the potato’s thin skin. Waxing before they are shipped to market only makes the external pesticides harder to remove.

Cut your risk:
Peeling, washing potatoes under running water and scrubbing with a clean vegetable brush can help remove some external pesticide residue. But experts advise buying organic potatoes, if you can.

Peas
Buy organic?
No. Across all vegetables, peas rank among the lowest in pesticide content. They’re protected by pods and attract fewer insect attackers than other vegetables.Cut your risk:
If they’re not shelled, remove them from their pods and rinse them well under running water.

很多人愿意買有機食品，因為他們認為有機食品比普通的水果蔬菜更有營養，也更安全，普通的水果蔬菜在生長過程中使用了合成化肥或噴灑過農藥。

然而有機食品－種植的代價比普通水果蔬菜增加50％－很多美國人還是消費不起的。依據聯合新鮮農產品協會的說法，即使農藥在一定范圍內殘留濃度很高，政府部門認為也是安全的。但是批評家認為，即使是對低濃度的農藥殘留的長期影響的研究還很不夠，尤其是對兒童的影響。

當你想為家人做最健康的選擇時，你如何知曉買哪種有機蔬菜和水果才是真正的物有所值呢？位于美國華盛頓的非盈利機構，環境工作組就人們最喜歡的一些水果蔬菜的農藥含量風險作了一份等級評定：

蘋果

要賣有機的嗎？

是的，研究顯示農藥主要沉淀在蘋果的頂部和底部的凹陷處。農藥還通過樹干被吸收到果核里。依據環境工作組的評定，在所有的水果中，蘋果吸收的農藥最多。

減少危害：

除了購買有機蘋果之外，去除果核，竊取蘋果的頂部和底部的也可以降低風險。削去果皮也行，盡管蘋果大部分的營養和纖維都儲存在表皮里。清洗并用刷子刷也能夠去除一部分，但不能去除全部的農藥殘留。

 鱷梨

買有機的嗎？

不。鱷梨有厚厚的皮保護，堅硬的表皮是的它們免受農藥的污染。

減少危害。

盡管鱷梨的農藥殘留濃度不易覺察得到，在削皮之前還是應該用流動的水將其清洗干凈，以去除臟東西和細菌。清洗后，用干凈的布或紙巾擦干。

香蕉

要買有機的嗎？

不。在地表30英尺的高處生長，還有厚皮保護，香蕉是農藥殘留最低的水果之一。只有獼猴桃、芒果和菠蘿農藥風險最小。

減少危害：剝了皮吃。

漿果

要買有機的嗎？

是的，國內的漿果農藥殘留量很高。由于易生害蟲，農場主就用噴砂農藥的辦法來防治害蟲。農藥主要殘留在凹陷處。

減少危害：用流動的水清洗。沒有別的更多的辦法來降低危害－除了買有機的。

葡萄

買有機的嗎？

只要買國內的生產的，不用買有機的。如果用流動的水清洗干凈，國內的葡萄多數都很好。美國進口的反季節葡萄顯示農藥殘留較高，因為國際上對農藥殘留的控制不如國內嚴格。

減少危害：

不買進口品種。如何辨別？如果冬天有售，很可能就是從有夏季氣候的國外進口的。

蜜桃

買有機的嗎？

是。蟲子喜歡多汁的甜蜜桃，因此，高濃度的農藥可已滲透進薄薄的表皮。

減少危害：

除了用水果刷好好清洗干凈并去皮，別無他法。如果買得起，還是買有機的。

桃子

買有機的嗎？

是的。桃子表皮很薄，在桃子很小的時候就噴殺了農藥。因此，桃子在生長過程中就一直吸收農藥。依據環境工作組的調查，一份桃子樣本，多種農藥殘留最高。

減少危害：

用流動的水清洗、去皮都有所幫助，但是果肉里面的農藥無法清除。有機桃子是最好的選擇。

梨

買有機的嗎？

是的。梨的農藥殘留幾乎與蘋果一樣，但是梨的皮更薄，因此果肉更容易吸收化學農藥。

減少危害：

用流動的水，水果刷好好清洗。果核及其周圍一些果肉要切掉。

草莓

買有機的嗎？

是的，草莓生長緊貼地面，要使用高濃度的農藥才能夠使其不受土壤里的害蟲的侵害。

減少危害

切掉莖部，去除核－全白的部分－因為草莓是通過莖部吸收農藥的。切記要洗干凈。

甜椒

買有機的？

是的。盡管甜椒皮又厚又硬，油光光的，有時還像打了蠟，種植者都會噴灑農藥，使得殘留農藥很難去除。依據環境工作組的說法，甜椒的農藥殘留在蔬菜里是最高的。由于甜椒皮是甜椒的很好吃的一部分，因此有機的最好。

減少危害

選擇紅的、黃的和橘紅黃色的甜椒，這些多是在溫室里生長的。比青的甜椒含的農藥少，青甜椒多是露天生長的。

芹菜

買有機的嗎？

是的，除非你有警覺做好準備和清洗。農藥主要集中在芹菜的根部，也是水分集中的地方。在所有的蔬菜里，依據環境工作組的研究，芹菜樣本農藥殘留檢測呈陽性，濃度最高，也有多種農藥殘留。

減少危害

切掉芹菜根部，用流動的水清洗莖、葉。

花椰菜
買有機的嗎？

不。和圓白菜一楊，在所有的蔬菜中，花椰菜農藥殘留濃度最低。因為生長時節較冷，那時害蟲還沒有危害能力。

減少危害：

用流動的水清洗，切除莖部，莖部有可能吸收土壤中的農藥。

生菜

買有機的嗎？

是的。它們緊貼地表生長，吸收含有農藥的水。依據環境工作組的說法，在所有蔬菜中，生菜農藥含量位列第三。

減少危害：

由于葉子坑洼不平，生菜最難清洗干凈。但是值得你用流動的水清洗以去去除農藥殘留。將外面的葉子去掉也可以降低農藥危害。

菠菜

買有機的嗎？

是的。菠菜和生菜一樣，緊貼地表生長，通過莖吸收農藥。不像生菜，能夠去除外面的葉子。

減少危害：

盡管水不能去除已被吸收的農藥，在流動的水中清洗，有助于去除臟東西和細菌。

土豆

買有機的嗎？

是的。土都生長在地下或剛剛露出地表，為確保豐收，農民使用農藥。農藥可以透過薄薄的表皮被土豆吸收。運到市場之前還要打蠟，這只能使農藥更難去除。

減少危害：

去皮，用流動的水清洗，還要用干凈的刷子刷，能夠去除有一些殘留農藥。但是專家建議，如果能，還是買有機的。

豌豆

買有機的嗎？

不。在所有的蔬菜中，豌豆的農藥含量最低。由于有豆莢的保護，與別的蔬菜相比，更少受病蟲害的侵襲。

減少危害：

如果有殼，將豌豆從豆莢里剝出來，用流動的水好好洗一下就可以了。