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.

很多人愿意买有机食品，因为他们认为有机食品比普通的水果蔬菜更有营养，也更安全，普通的水果蔬菜在生长过程中使用了合成化肥或喷洒过农药。

然而有机食品－种植的代价比普通水果蔬菜增加50％－很多美国人还是消费不起的。依据联合新鲜农产品协会的说法，即使农药在一定范围内残留浓度很高，政府部门认为也是安全的。但是批评家认为，即使是对低浓度的农药残留的长期影响的研究还很不够，尤其是对儿童的影响。

当你想为家人做最健康的选择时，你如何知晓买哪种有机蔬菜和水果才是真正的物有所值呢？位于美国华盛顿的非盈利机构，环境工作组就人们最喜欢的一些水果蔬菜的农药含量风险作了一份等级评定：

苹果

要卖有机的吗？

是的，研究显示农药主要沉淀在苹果的顶部和底部的凹陷处。农药还通过树干被吸收到果核里。依据环境工作组的评定，在所有的水果中，苹果吸收的农药最多。

减少危害：

除了购买有机苹果之外，去除果核，窃取苹果的顶部和底部的也可以降低风险。削去果皮也行，尽管苹果大部分的营养和纤维都储存在表皮里。清洗并用刷子刷也能够去除一部分，但不能去除全部的农药残留。

 鳄梨

买有机的吗？

不。鳄梨有厚厚的皮保护，坚硬的表皮是的它们免受农药的污染。

减少危害。

尽管鳄梨的农药残留浓度不易觉察得到，在削皮之前还是应该用流动的水将其清洗干净，以去除脏东西和细菌。清洗后，用干净的布或纸巾擦干。

香蕉

要买有机的吗？

不。在地表30英尺的高处生长，还有厚皮保护，香蕉是农药残留最低的水果之一。只有猕猴桃、芒果和菠萝农药风险最小。

减少危害：剥了皮吃。

浆果

要买有机的吗？

是的，国内的浆果农药残留量很高。由于易生害虫，农场主就用喷砂农药的办法来防治害虫。农药主要残留在凹陷处。

减少危害：用流动的水清洗。没有别的更多的办法来降低危害－除了买有机的。

葡萄

买有机的吗？

只要买国内的生产的，不用买有机的。如果用流动的水清洗干净，国内的葡萄多数都很好。美国进口的反季节葡萄显示农药残留较高，因为国际上对农药残留的控制不如国内严格。

减少危害：

不买进口品种。如何辨别？如果冬天有售，很可能就是从有夏季气候的国外进口的。

蜜桃

买有机的吗？

是。虫子喜欢多汁的甜蜜桃，因此，高浓度的农药可已渗透进薄薄的表皮。

减少危害：

除了用水果刷好好清洗干净并去皮，别无他法。如果买得起，还是买有机的。

桃子

买有机的吗？

是的。桃子表皮很薄，在桃子很小的时候就喷杀了农药。因此，桃子在生长过程中就一直吸收农药。依据环境工作组的调查，一份桃子样本，多种农药残留最高。

减少危害：

用流动的水清洗、去皮都有所帮助，但是果肉里面的农药无法清除。有机桃子是最好的选择。

梨

买有机的吗？

是的。梨的农药残留几乎与苹果一样，但是梨的皮更薄，因此果肉更容易吸收化学农药。

减少危害：

用流动的水，水果刷好好清洗。果核及其周围一些果肉要切掉。

草莓

买有机的吗？

是的，草莓生长紧贴地面，要使用高浓度的农药才能够使其不受土壤里的害虫的侵害。

减少危害

切掉茎部，去除核－全白的部分－因为草莓是通过茎部吸收农药的。切记要洗干净。

甜椒

买有机的？

是的。尽管甜椒皮又厚又硬，油光光的，有时还像打了蜡，种植者都会喷洒农药，使得残留农药很难去除。依据环境工作组的说法，甜椒的农药残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，因此有机的最好。

减少危害

选择红的、黄的和橘红黄色的甜椒，这些多是在温室里生长的。比青的甜椒含的农药少，青甜椒多是露天生长的。

芹菜

买有机的吗？

是的，除非你有警觉做好准备和清洗。农药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，依据环境工作组的研究，芹菜样本农药残留检测呈阳性，浓度最高，也有多种农药残留。

减少危害

切掉芹菜根部，用流动的水清洗茎、叶。

花椰菜
买有机的吗？

不。和圆白菜一杨，在所有的蔬菜中，花椰菜农药残留浓度最低。因为生长时节较冷，那时害虫还没有危害能力。

减少危害：

用流动的水清洗，切除茎部，茎部有可能吸收土壤中的农药。

生菜

买有机的吗？

是的。它们紧贴地表生长，吸收含有农药的水。依据环境工作组的说法，在所有蔬菜中，生菜农药含量位列第三。

减少危害：

由于叶子坑洼不平，生菜最难清洗干净。但是值得你用流动的水清洗以去去除农药残留。将外面的叶子去掉也可以降低农药危害。

菠菜

买有机的吗？

是的。菠菜和生菜一样，紧贴地表生长，通过茎吸收农药。不像生菜，能够去除外面的叶子。

减少危害：

尽管水不能去除已被吸收的农药，在流动的水中清洗，有助于去除脏东西和细菌。

土豆

买有机的吗？

是的。土都生长在地下或刚刚露出地表，为确保丰收，农民使用农药。农药可以透过薄薄的表皮被土豆吸收。运到市场之前还要打蜡，这只能使农药更难去除。

减少危害：

去皮，用流动的水清洗，还要用干净的刷子刷，能够去除有一些残留农药。但是专家建议，如果能，还是买有机的。

豌豆

买有机的吗？

不。在所有的蔬菜中，豌豆的农药含量最低。由于有豆荚的保护，与别的蔬菜相比，更少受病虫害的侵袭。

减少危害：

如果有壳，将豌豆从豆荚里剥出来，用流动的水好好洗一下就可以了。