micronutrients devoid of any residue of pesticides, India Today reported.

In his Instagram post, Dr Palaniappan Manickam, a California-based gastroenterologist, shared that almost 70 per cent of fruits and vegetables in the supermarket contain the residue of pesticides. He quoted the Environmental Working Group (EWG)’s study, which was published earlier this year, about the Dirty Dozen list in which it was seen that strawberries and spinach were considered to be the dirtiest foods purchased at a grocery store.

Dr Manickam wrote, “It is better to buy from farmers’ market and wash thoroughly before consumption.”

Though there are advantages of buying foods from the organic section due to zero pesticides, Dietician Ashish Rani said that it is important to note that not all foods bought organic are healthy.

Dietician Ashish Rani added that after 24 hours there is a “deterioration of the nutrients in foods that are organically produced.”