Dirty Dozen & Clean Fifteen
Benefits of Choosing Organic Foods
Switching to organic is an easy way to improve the quality of your food. Organic foods are grown in conditions free of pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and toxins that can be harmful to our health. By opting for organic, you are eliminating pollutants and giving your body more of what it needs.
The use of pollutants, pesticides, and herbicides in industrialized farming has resulted in their presence in our food and water supply. These substances can disrupt our hormone balance, weaken the immune system, and even have carcinogenic properties. Choosing organic helps protect your body from these harmful substances.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) provides a helpful list each year to identify which foods have the highest pesticide residue (Dirty Dozen) and which have the least (Clean Fifteen). This list can guide your grocery shopping decisions, highlighting which foods are recommended to buy organic and which can be purchased conventionally. Here is the 2022 list:
Dirty Dozen:
- Strawberries
- Spinach
- Kale, Collards, Mustard Greens
- Nectarines
- Apples
- Grapes
- Bell and Hot Peppers
- Cherries
- Peaches
- Pears
- Celery
- Tomatoes
- Potatoes
Clean Fifteen:
- Avocados
- Sweet Corn
- Pineapple
- Onions
- Papaya
- Sweet Peas (frozen)
- Asparagus
- Honeydew melon
- Kiwi
- Cabbage
- Mushrooms
- Cantaloupe
- Mangoes
- Watermelon
- Sweet Potatoes
By referring to the EWG's list, you can make informed choices about which foods to prioritize as organic and which may be safe to consume conventionally.