As we increase our intake of healthy fruits and vegetables it’s necessary to navigate the organic vs. non-organic decision. In a perfect world all the produce we buy would be naturally free of pesticides. We live in a time where farming practices have moved to large scale farms that rely on using Round Up and other weedkillers.
There is a resource we can use to help with our decision. The Dirty Dozen list. (There is also a Clean 15). The EWG (Environmental Working Group) publishes a list of fruits and vegetables each year ranking them based on contamination.
If you want to minimize your exposure, this is a good place to start.
Dirty Dozen list (highest levels)
- Strawberries
- Spinach
- Kale
- Nectarines
- Apples
- Grapes
- Peaches
- Cherries
- Pears
- Tomatoes
- Celery
- Potatoes
Two additional foods to buy organic:
- Raisins
- Oats
The idea is to make the best choice possible, and if you can, buy produce from a local farmer’s market. If you’re focused on eating more plant-foods, the quality of fruits and vegetables matters.
