06/13/2024
Health Coaches often get asked about when it's necessary to buy organic and when it's not. To help you make informed decisions that protect both your family and your wallet, here are two lists from the Environmental Working Group
View Lists: https://www.ewg.org/foodnews
Dirty Dozen
The dirty dozen is a list of the top twelve fruits and veggies that tested positive for higher concentrations of pesticides than other produce. More than 90 percent of samples of strawberries, apples, cherries, spinach, nectarines, and grapes tested positive for residues of two or more pesticides. If you are not already, you should consider buying organic, beginning with these top twelve produce items. Remember, the thinner the skin, the more likely it is that pesticides can leak through.
1. Strawberries
2. Spinach
3. Kale, collard and mustard greens
4. Grapes
5. Peaches
6. Pears
7. Nectarines
8. Apples
9. Bell and Hot Peppers
10. Cherries
11. Blueberries
12. Green Beans
The Clean 15
Fruits and vegetables on the Clean 15 are not absolutely necessary to buy organically because they bore little pesticide traces. Almost 65 percent of Clean 15 fruit and vegetable samples had zero detectable pesticide residues. Avocados and sweet corn were the cleanest produce – less than 2 percent of samples showed any detectable pesticides.
1. Avocados
2. Sweet Corn
3. Pineapples
4. Onions
5. Papayas
6. Sweet Peas (Frozen)
7. Asparagus
8. Honeydew
9. Kiwi
10. Cabbage
11. Mushrooms
12. Mangoes
13. Sweet Potatoes
14. Watermelon
15. Carrots
