Broccoli May Not Be Good for Your Health, and Other Scary Fruit and Vegetable Facts

Could it be?  Broccoli, that source of vitamins and weight loss, on most children's nightly plates, that super cancer-fighter, could actually damage our health, instead?

A new study has found that fruits and vegetables may not be quite as good for us as once thought.  And we're not even talking about the pesticides!  But it seems some can lead to hypothyroidism (your thyroid slows down, making you fatigued, and gain weight -- and, worst of all, not able to lose it), or harm your teeth.  Even the great new wonder of the world, kale, has come in for some abuse.

Turns out this leafy green veggie is the one that lowers your thyroid, and so does broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables (think, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and collard greens).  All the stuff we've been told to eat if we want to live to 100, or thereabouts.

And as for teeth? Writer Lecia Bushak says her dentist told her she'd be better off eating "chocolate and cola" rather than fresh vegetable juices and filtered water. That's because the acids in these drinks can leach the enamel off your teeth  (though mine begs to differ).

But there's an easy answer.  Just cook it.  Don't eat it raw.  And this obvious advice: don't eat it it in tons. It's "the dose that makes it poison," one expert told Bushak.

Now for some more depressing fruit and vegetable news.  Want to know the 12 most soaked with pesticides?

Bushak lists them, according to Medical News Daily, as:

1.       Apples- Most health practitioners say your best apple option is organic.

2.       Strawberries- Since fungi is especially prone to strawberries they are constantly sprayed with pesticides.

3.       Grapes- Pesticide residue on grapes is still present when they are made into wine.

4.       Celery- Past EWG analyses have detected over 60 different pesticides on non-organic celery.

5.       Peaches- In past years peaches have ranked number one, given that their unique skin is a pesticide magnet.

6.       Spinach- Top pesticide-contaminated lettuce product.

7.       Sweet Bell Peppers- All colors of bell peppers, including yellow, orange and red, contain the same amount of pesticide content.

8.       Imported Nectarines-Nectarines from outside the US record higher toxicity levels than domestic grown.  

9.       Cucumbers- Wen peeling the skin of a cucumber, make sure it's completely naked or pesticides will remain.

10.   Potatoes- Potatoes are sprayed with pesticides from the moment their seeds are planted to the moment they are picked from the ground.

11.   Cherry Tomatoes- Removing the bottom leaves of a tomato plant has been suggested considering that's where fungus starts to grow.

12.   Hot Peppers- The skin of hot peppers are teeming with bacteria; however, hot pepper extract has been known to make a quality insecticide itself.