dirty dozen.
If you’re like us, you’d love to be able to buy everything in the organic section of the market, but going exclusively organic comes with one hefty price tag. Since switching over 100% is out of the question for most of us, focus on the produce most vulnerable to pesticides and are highest in additives and hormones. You can reduce your pesticide exposure by 80% by avoiding the most contaminated fruits and vegetables, according to the Environmental Working Group. For the “dirty dozen” fruits and vegetables on the Environmental Working Group’s list, consider buying organic to minimize your risk. You’ll notice that all of the produce on the list comes fairly “ready to eat”, meaning without an inedible peel or skin (think bananas, oranges and melons). When the fruits and vegetables are directly exposed to the chemicals, they soak up more (obviously) than those with external protection. Scrub and peel all you want, those chems are designed to stay put through all kinds of weather, so you’ll be eating toxins no matter what. Go organic in stages — the dirty dozen is a great place to start.
The Dirty Dozen:
- Peaches
- Apples
- Bell Peppers
- Celery
- Nectarines
- Strawberries
- Cherries
- Kale
- Leafy Greens
- Grapes (imported)
- Carrots
- Pears
Too many to remember? The Environmental Working Group has made the list available as both an app for the iPhone and in a printable, wallet size. For a cool slide show on the Dirty Dozen, including detailed information about what’s contaminating each of the items on the list, check out the Daily Green.
Curious why we chose to put a picture of tomatoes on this tip? Surprisingly, tomatoes have moved from the previous dirty dozen list to the EWG’s most recent “clean” list of safest conventional produce. We think that’s pretty cool.
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