Thursday, January 2, 2014

Dirty Dozen / Clean 15 (2013)

It's that time of year again! The Environmental Working Group published the findings for the 2013 Dirty Dozen and Clean 15.

The below are in no particular order, and you'll notice the Dirty Dozen once again has a "plus category" for crops that did not meet traditional Dirty Dozen criteria but were commonly contaminated with pesticides exceptionally toxic to the nervous system.

If you're new to this, what does it mean and why do you need to know this? Well, the Dirty Dozen are the 12 fruits and vegetables that test for the highest amounts of pesticide residues that are harmful to the human body. It is recommended to purchase these as "organic" where possible to avoid such residue from traditionally-farmed crops. Will you drop dead if you eat it anyway? Nope. And many times, the benefits of eating the fruit and veggie outweigh the risk of it having pesticide residue. Just ensure if you do purchase an item off the Dirty Dozen list that isn't organic that you thoroughly wash it prior to consumption.


Conversely, the Clean 15 are the 15 fruits and veggies with the lowest traces of pesticide residue. Unless you prefer the taste or have the bucks to spend on it, no need to purchase these babies as organic. Good to know when you're working on a tight food budget.


Here are my posts from previous years in case you want to read more about how I use these lists for my own family.
2012's Dirty Dozen and Clean 15
2011's Dirty Dozen and Clean 15

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!!

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