I recently stumbled across a list, published by the Environmental Working Group, of the 12 most dirtiest fruits and veggies, aka "Dirty Dozen." It's best to always buy them organic, so as to reduce the pesticide intake in your food.
On the flip side, they also published a list of the "Clean 15" considered the lowest in pesticides.
I'm all up for feeding my family less pesticides, so this list will be beneficial. I try to buy organic but am always hesitant because of the expensive prices. Often I limit buying many things because my grocery budget doesn't allow to buy all organic produce. By utilizing this list I should be able to buy more produce and still limit the amount of pesticides. Now I can definitely buy organic of the Dirty Dozen and feel safe when I buy non-organic of the Clean 15.
2010 Dirty Dozen
1. Celery
2. Peaches
3. Strawberries
4. Apples
5. Blueberries
6. Nectarines
7. Bell Peppers
8. Spinach
9. Kale
10. Cherries
11. Potatoes
12. Grapes (Imported)
Clean 15
1. Onions
2. Avacado
3. Sweet Corn
4. Pineapple
5. Mango
6. Sweet Peas
7. Asparagus
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Cantaloupe
12. Watermelon
13. Grapefruit
14. Sweet Potato
15. Honeydew Melon
As always, be sure to wash all produce, regardless if it is organic or not.
If you want a printable guide to take with you to the store, click here.
