Foods With a Strikingly Low Impact on the Environment

You may think of grapes as distinct from berries, but the two fruits are actually both berries. Grapes belong to a family of plants known as Vitaceae; the plants within this family produce berry-like fruits. A berry is defined as a fleshy fruit without a stone produced from a single flower. Where the confusion comes is that some grapes have a hard pit.

If you hated tapioca as a kid, blame cassava. A starchy root vegetable, cassava is consumed in many parts of the world. As a drought-resistant vegetable, it can be grown in harsh conditions. Cassava is high in what is called resistant starch, a type of starch with properties similar to soluble fiber. However, processed cassava products such as tapioca contain less resistant starch.

Barley is another cereal grain; it’s frequently used for brewing beer and making alcoholic beverages. The grain is also said to lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels. In addition to an ingredient for beer, barley is planted for erosion control. Because its roots burrow deep into the soil, winter barley protects the ground from wind and rain that erode the soil.

Science magazine breaks out citrus fruits, berries (including grapes), apples, and bananas individually and categorizes everything else as “other fruits.” That encompasses everything from familiar ones like peaches, pears, and pineapple to more exotic varieties like dragon fruit (pitaya), prickly pears, and jackfruit.

A type of legume, peas are native to the Middle East – specifically Turkey and Iraq. Frozen peas are on the Environmental Working Group’s “Clean Fifteen” list, making them a safer choice for those who want to avoid pesticides. The Group also gives fresh peas a “low to moderate pesticide residue score.”