I shop for a family of five and we rarely eat out so I am always trying to budget our grocery bills. When trying to eat healthy, this can be challenging. If you are on a budget or have limited availability to organic produce, utilize the Dirty Dozen list and shop organic for these fruits and veggies.
Also pay attention to the Clean Fifteen List. It’s ok to shop non-organic for these fruits and vegetables.
The Environmental Working Group has released its 2015 lists of the most and least pesticide-contaminated produce. These lists are compiled from U.S. Department of Agriculture pesticide residue data on 48 fruits and vegetables. About 2/3 of the produce samples tested positive (toxic) and apples are the most toxic for a fifth year in a row.
DIRTY DOZEN (Most toxic – Buy Organic)
- Apples
- Peaches
- Nectarines
- Strawberries
- Grapes
- Celery
- Spinach
- Sweet Bell Peppers
- Cucumbers
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Snap Peas (imported)
- Potatoes
CLEAN FIFTEEN (Least toxic – Ok to buy Non-Organic)
- Avocados
- Sweet Corn
- Pineapple
- Cabbage
- Sweet Peas (frozen)
- Onions
- Asparagus
- Mangos
- Papaya
- Kiwi
- Eggplant
- Grapefruit
- Cantalope
- Cauliflower
- Sweet Potatoes
Washing produce will help cut down on pesticides for some fruits and veggies. Checkout my Washing Produce Guidelines and Homemade Produce Wash.
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