In the vague and oftentimes confusing world of organic food, it appears that some fruits and vegetables are “more organic” than others.

The banana is a primary example of this. The thick skin of the banana serves as a protective shield against pesticides, so the pulp is healthy enough to consume on its own.

The same philosophy applies to the avocado, another fruit with a thick skin, that builds up pesticides on the outside while the actual fruit remains intact and generally pesticide-free.

Other fruits, ranging from kiwis to papayas to pineapples, can be safely bought and consumed non-organic largely because of their thick skin.

In the category of vegetables, not all foods are alike in their level of pesticide treatment. For instance, broccoli is not generally treated with pesticides, though consumers still have the option of buying organic at the grocery store. The same applies to cabbage, onions and asparagus.

While some fruits and vegetables do not need to be purchased from the organic aisle, other foods like sweet bell peppers, apples, grapes, cherries and plums are worth the extra amount of money.

Whereas bananas and avocados are protected from pesticides due to their protective layer of skin, fruits such as raspberries and nectarines have little defense against pesticides and are more prone to contain a fair level of chemical residue.

According to Food News, peaches are the worst offenders, containing the highest level of pesticides out of any other common fruit or vegetable. They are followed by apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, kale, lettuce and imported grapes.

“Peaches had the most pesticides overall, with some combination of up to 53 pesticides found on the samples tested, followed by apples with 50 pesticides and strawberries with 38,” according to the Web site.

Source: Earth 911