The “Dirty Dozen”
Ok, to continue on from yesterday’s blog. I had suggested adding one or two organic items to your grocery list. Well, which ones? How to start? It can be confusing and overwhelming I know. So, to help us all muddle through this new adventure we are taking I am going to list the “Dirty Dozen” for you. Actually this list (from The Environmental Working Group) is a list of produce. The number one item has the highest level of pesticides out of the most commonly eaten fruits and veggies over a 3 year study. For more information please visit www.ewg.org You can get tons of info there on a greener, healthier lifestyle, issues effecting our world, etc.
I hope this list helps you in determining which foods on your grocery list will make it on your food list as organic choices. Following standard preparation practices (washing, peeling, coring, etc.) and testing methods, pesticide levels remain high on some produce, and not others. Try to think of the added cost of organics as an investment in yours and your family’s health. To me it is worth the extra dollar for the 3 lb bag of organic apples if it keeps the poisons out of my sons’ bodies! Also, my family has found that true organic food tastes sooooo much better than the non organic. To really get an idea of what farmers are putting on our food, look at the difference in size between say a “regular” pineapple and an organic one. The organic one is noticeably smaller….what is being added to our produce to make it larger???? That thought alone worries me. Anywho, thanks for sticking with me as a babble on about this. So, without further ado, “The List”
1 (worst) Peach (highest pesticide load)
2 Apple
3 Sweet Bell Pepper
4 Celery
5 Nectarine
6 Strawberries
7 Cherries
8 Kale
9 Lettuce
10 Grapes – Imported
11 Carrot
12 Pear (this ends the dirty dozen)
13 Collard Greens
14 Spinach
15 Potato
16 Green Beans
17 Summer Squash
18 Peppers
19 Cucumber
20 Raspberries
21 Grapes – Domestic
22 Plum
23 Orange
24 Cauliflower
25 Tangerine
26 Mushrooms
27 Banana
28 Winter Squash
29 Cantaloupe
30 Cranberries
31 Honeydew Melon
32 Grapefruit
33 Sweet Potato (here we begin the clean 15)
34 Tomato
35 Broccoli
36 Watermelon
37 Papaya
38 Eggplant
39 Cabbage
40 Kiwi
41 Sweet Peas
42 Asparagus
43 Mango
44 Pineapple
45 Sweet Corn – Frozen
46 Avocado
47 (best) Onion(lowest pesticide load)
