Nutritious substitutes with far lower pesticide residues are blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, kiwis and a host of other fruits rich in vitamin C. Green bell peppers are a good source of vitamin C and red bell peppers add vitamin A and a moderate dose of carotenoids to a meal. Good alternatives include broccoli, romaine lettuce or carrots. Other greens such as kale, Swiss chard, mustard greens and collard greens are good nutritional substitutes, but have a roughly equivalent pesticide contamination profile. For raw spinach, romaine lettuce is far less contaminated alternative that is relatively high in carotenoids. For cooked spinach, broccoli or brussels sprouts are reasonable substitutes that are high in carotrnoids, vitamins A and C and folate.
Cherries are a marginal source of vitamin C, but have little other nutritional value.
Nutritional substitutes with far lower pesticide residues are blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, kiwis, oranges, watermelon and a host of other fruits rich in vitamin C. Peaches provide relatively low amounts of vitamin A and C and negligible amounts of carotenoids. Nectarines, tangerines, cantaloupe and watermelon provide more vitamins A and C, and many other fruits such as oranges, grapefruits, papayas or kiwis provide high levels of one of these two vitamins. To avoid cantaloupes with high pesticide residues, hold off on this fruit during January through April, when imports from Mexico are at their peak. The rest of the year, enjoy this marvelous melon. Celery is a marginal source of carotenoids, but provides virtually no vitamins or minerals.