Monsanto’s Roundup and its key ingredient glyphosate has to be one of the most controversial topics on the Internet. More than 1.8 million tons has been sprayed on crops and other vegetation in the U.S. since 1974 and two-thirds of that has been sprayed just in the last 10 years. (In fact, in 2014 farmers sprayed 1.65 billion pounds of glyphosate. That’s enough to cover every acre of cropland in the world with about a half pound of this chemical.) Many studies and international government agencies have attributed Roundup as carcinogenic - it can potentially cause cancer - and recommend that this weedkiller be avoided. 

Here are some ways that you can minimize the amount of glyphosate found in your diet:

1. Wash Your Produce - You probably rinse your fruits and vegetables under water before you eat them, but that’s not really doing enough to get rid of the bacteria, pesticides or residual herbicides that may be contaminating your food. While most glyphosate gets into your food through water and soil contamination, you can remove trace results from the outside (and every little step counts.) For smooth skinned produce like apples or pears, mix vinegar and water at a 1 to 3 ratio in a spray bottle. Mist the fruit and after 30 seconds, rinse the solution off with clean water. For rough skinned produce such as lettuce or broccoli, soak them in a solution of vinegar and water at a 1 to 3 ratio for up to two minutes and rinse.
2. Peel Your Fruits and Veggies - Many of us have been told that much of the fruit and vegetable’s nutrients are found in the skin, but according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a large red apple with its skin on contains about 5 grams of fiber, 13 milligrams of calcium, 239 milligrams of potassium, and 10 milligrams of vitamin C. However, if you remove the skin, it still has about 3 grams of fiber, 11 milligrams of calcium, and 194 milligrams of potassium. The fruit continues to have plenty of vitamins, but removing the skin could also decrease the amounts of chemicals you are eating.
3. Buy Organic - While washing and peeling only remove a fraction of dangerous agricultural chemicals, buying organic is one of your best options. Look for a label that says “organic” or “certified organic” and beware of misleading terms such as “natural” or “pure” that are free to interpretation by the company and don’t adhere to government regulations. (For extra credit, look for these labels on your beverages, too. Many California wines and even highly-regulated German beer have been found to have Roundup in them.)
4. Avoid the “Dirty Dozen” - Buying organic can be expensive. If you aren’t able to buy just organic foods or you don’t have the space and time to grow your own organic garden, you may want to avoid these popular foods that have been known to contain the greatest amounts of glyphosate:
5. Apples  
6. Peaches
8. Cucumbers
10. Cherry tomatoes,
12. Imported snap peas
14. Potatoes
16. Strawberries
18. Grapes
20. Celery
22. Spinach
24. Nectarines
26. Sweet bell peppers

So what’s left to eat? Here are some fruits and veggies with the least amounts of glyphosate: sweet corn, pineapples, eggplant, grapefruit, cabbage, sweet peas (frozen), mangoes, papayas, kiwi, onions, asparagus, cantaloupe, and cauliflower.

##Sources

“Roundup’s Toxic Chemical Glyphosate, Found In 100% Of California Wines Tested”. Healthy Holistic Living. Accessed April 4, 2018. http://www.healthy-holistic-living.com/roundups-toxic-chemical-glyphosate-found-100-california-wines-tested.html

“I-Team investigates controversy over weed killer and California wine”. ABC7 News. Accessed April 4, 2018. http://abc7news.com/health/i-team-investigates-controversy-over-weed-killer-and-california-wine/1332495/

“How to Clean Fruits & Vegetables With Vinegar”. SF Gate. Accessed April 4, 2018. http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/clean-fruits-vegetables-vinegar-8777.html

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