The Dirty Dozen & The Clean 15
The Dirty Dozen
If you can’t go completely organic, do as much good as you can by purchasing as much organic food on the Dirty Dozen list as possible. The Environmental Working Group's list of the Dirty Dozen includes the produce you should do your best- given your budget- to buy organic because of the amount of pesticides sprayed on them (if budget is a serious issue and you can’t get these organic either, soak for at least half an hour with veggie wash and water, or diluted raw apple cider vinegar).
- Spinach
- Lettuce
- Apples
- Celery
- Sweet bell peppers
- Potatoes
- Peaches
- Nectarines
- Strawberries
- Pears
- Grapes
- Cherries
There’s also a list of the Clean Fifteen, which you don’t necessarily need to purchase organic:
- Avocados
- Onions
- Cabbage
- Sweet peas
- Eggplant
- Domestic cantaloupe
- Kiwi
- Asparagus
- Mango
- Pineapple
- Sweet corn
- Watermelon
- Sweet potatoes
- Grapefruit
- Mushrooms
By just following this list, you can cut down on up to 80 percent of your pesticide consumption. If you’re buying produce that you’ll be removing the outer peel from anyway, you can usually get away without buying organic. However, the nutritional content may not be as high in conventionally grown produce as it is in organic.
