Pesticides and produce: 3 ways to reduce your risk

You know you're supposed to eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables for a healthy diet. But what about your risk of ingesting pesticides with that produce?

Most nonorganic crops — and even some organically grown crops — come in contact with pesticides. As a result, traces of pesticide residue may be on the surface of a plant or even inside it.

Fortunately, there are safeguards in place. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for monitoring domestic and imported foods to make sure that pesticide residues are below certain levels.

You can take these steps to further reduce your pesticide exposure:

1. Clean. Rinse all fruits and vegetables with running water for 15 to 30 seconds. Gently rotate while rinsing to remove most surface pesticide residue. Scrubbing with a brush may also help remove pesticides and other substances.

2. Peel. For some foods, peeling is automatic, like when eating an orange or banana. It also makes sense to peel an outer layer away in foods like lettuce or onions. For other foods, like apple or potatoes, peeling is more of a choice.

   Whatever the produce, peeling can help remove pesticide residues. Just rinse before peeling so that your knife doesn't transfer residue to the peeled produce.

3. Buy. When possible, purchase organically grown produce. Not every last piece of produce labeled "organic" is 100 percent pesticide-free. For the most part, though, eating organic produce significantly reduces your exposure to pesticide residues when compared with conventionally farmed produce.