Mercy Health Dietician reviews "Dirty Dozen" foods with most pesticides

Certain fruits and vegetables you eat may contain high levels of pesticides.

Dubbed "the Dirty Dozen" by the Environmental Working Group, the list includes apples, bell and hot peppers, cherries and green beans. The group also found that approximately 95% of non-organic strawberries, leafy greens, grapes, peaches and pears contained pesticides.

So, how can you make sure what you're buying is safe?

Jessica Romeo, Mercy Health Community Health Educator and Dietician, says purchasing organic produce is a good option if you're willing to spend a few extra dollars, or buying products grown on American farms.

"Local is always great, if you can. A lot of the biggest offenders in higher pesticide residues are not coming from the United States, they are imported," Romeo notes.

She adds, no matter whether you buy standard or organic, it's important to wash your produce thoroughly before preparing or eating them. Not only does that clean the pesticides off of your food, it reduces food safety risks associated with the handling and transportation of fruits and vegetables.

"Scrubbing in cold water is really effective, a one-part solution of baking soda in water is especially effective for getting waxes and other things off fruits and vegetables," Romeo says.