The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has recently updated their “dirty dozen” and “clean 15” lists for consumers. These lists report which fruits and vegetables are best to buy organic and which ones you can save your money on.
We all know we should eat more fruits and vegetables, but many of them are contaminated with pesticides, fungicides, and insecticides that remain even after washing or peeling the foods. The EWG analysis of tests by the US Department of Agriculture found that nearly 70% of samples of conventionally grown produce were contaminated with pesticide residue.
Researchers had found that even chronic low level exposure (some 0.1 parts per billion) pesticides are toxic in humans. In order to protect your families and you, it is absolutely essential for some foods to be bought organic.
The EWG recently released their 2018 list of the most pesticide contaminated fruits and vegetables, called the “dirty dozen” with strawberries and spinach topping the list for the third year in a row.
Be sure to buy these foods organic:
Strawberries, spinach, nectarines, apples, grapes, peaches, cherries, pears, tomatoes, celery, potatoes, sweet bell peppers, and Hot peppers.
The good news is that the EWG also releases a list of fruits and vegetables with the lowest pesticide residues. It might be worth saving your money on these particular fruits and vegetables. This is the new 2108 “clean 15” list:
Avocados, sweet corn (always look for non-GMO), pineapples, cabbage, onions, frozen sweet peas, papaya, asparagus, mango, eggplant, honeydew melon, kiwi, cantaloupe, cauliflower, and broccoli.
See these lists and other helpful information on their healthy living and environmental clean foods and products website. www.ewg.org or www.wellnessresources.com