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Smart Picks Among Conventionally-grown Fruit
An Excerpt from Fresh Choices: More Than 100 Easy Recipes for Pure Food When You Can't Buy 100% Organic
By Rochelle David and David Joachim
ck and stroke. Bananas are also a good source of other electrolytes, which help to replace and regulate fluids lost during exercise. After your next workout, replenish yourself with a banana and some water instead of a bottle of sports drink. (Ditto when the kids come in from a full day of play.) If you find bananas labeled "Rainforest Alliance Certified" in your market, grab 'em. While not strictly organic, these bananas are grown using environmentally responsible practices you can feel good about.
Kiwis make another highly nutritious and low-pesticide choice. In fact, kiwis contain more nutrients per calorie than any other fruit. Two kiwis supply more potassium than a banana, as much fiber as grapefruit and twice as much vitamin C as an orange. These little powerhouses are also high in glutamate and arginine, two amino acids that have been shown to help your body secrete growth hormones that reduce the effects of aging. Plus, a kiwi packs easily and has a refreshingly tart-sweet citrus-like flavor that kids tend to like.
Can't find kiwis? Try mangoes instead. Mangoes are low in chemical residues yet high in vitamin C, fiber and beta-carotene. One mango provides 6 grams of fiber. That's more than what you'll get in a cup of cooked oat bran.
If kiwis, mangoes or papayas are too hard to find in your area, try pineapple, another tropical fruit that's usually lower in pesticides than many other fruits. Fresh pineapple contains bromelain, an enzyme that aids digestion by breaking down proteins. (That's one reason why pineapples go so well with pork – bromelain acts as a natural meat tenderizer.) And pineapples are high in immunity-boosting vitamin C. One cup of pineapple chunks supplies 40 percent of your daily vitamin C needs, while 8 ounces of pineapple juice supplies 100 percent. For an even bigger shot of vitamin C, look for fresh "golden" pineapple imported from Costa Rica. It's sweeter and juicier, and it has more than four times the vitamin C of regular pineapple.