Many people want to buy organic produce, however, not everyone can afford to purchase all organic foods. When my patients come to me with this concern, I always suggest that they start by switching the DIRTY DOZEN first! By switching these top twelve veggies and fruits to organic, one can substantially lower their pesticide intake and, thus, take a substantial step towards their optimal health and wellbeing.
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Along with the Dirty Dozen, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) comes out with the CLEAN 15. The Clean 15 is a list of produce that contain the lowest amount of pesticides. So, if you are unable to buy all organic produce, these are the safest produce to buy non-organic. Please note: even though sweet corn appears as #2 on the Clean 15 and may not be a highly SPRAYED food, I would refrain from eating any non-organic sweet corn as most of the corn sold in North America is GMO and that, unfortunately, brings with it a whole new set of health implications!
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So without further ado… here are the lists:
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DIRTY DOZEN PLUS:
1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Sweet Bell Peppers
4. Peaches
5. Strawberries
6. Nectarines (imported)
7. Grapes
8. Spinach
9. Lettuce
10. Cucumbers
PLUS (may contain pesticide residues of special concern)
Green Beans & Kale/Greens
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CLEAN 15:
1. Onions
2. Sweet Corn
3. Pineapples
4. Avocado
5. Cabbage
6. Sweet peas
7. Asparagus
8. Mangoes
9. Eggplant
10. Kiwi
11. Cantaloupe (domestic)
12. Sweet potatoes
13. Grapefruit
14. Watermelon
14. Mushrooms
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