Since gardens and nutrition seem to be at the heart of this blog, I thought I'd lay out two terms that I had heard long ago, but never quite explored. The "Dirty Dozen" and "Clean 15" are basically a set of fruits and vegetables that either contain too many (dirty) or very few (clean) pesticides. Why this information may be important is when choosing whether or not to go organic. An item on the "clean" list doesn't really to be organic as it's generally free from pesticides anyway and paying extra for the organic version would be considered somewhat of a waste of money. In the case of the dirty dozen, however, going organic is probably the best way to go if you can afford it. Of course eating a salad with all every item on the dirty list is still a thousand times better than consuming fast-food.
This list is obviously subject to change on a seasonal basis so be sure to do some research every so often. Also, it is mostly a list that affects America so there may be some variations for Canada, but not many as we tend to get more and more of our groceries from the US anyway. In is also important to note that washing produce is always the first step to take regardless of whether something it is organic or not. I can't say I always stick to this list as I'm currently a student and tend to save wherever I can, but it's always in the back of my mind, I do my best, and intend to do better once I start my career.
A few websites to check out on this topic would be: Environmental Working Group PBS: Need to Know and/or Food Matters.
Dirty Dozen:
Foods with the MOST pesticides.
This list is obviously subject to change on a seasonal basis so be sure to do some research every so often. Also, it is mostly a list that affects America so there may be some variations for Canada, but not many as we tend to get more and more of our groceries from the US anyway. In is also important to note that washing produce is always the first step to take regardless of whether something it is organic or not. I can't say I always stick to this list as I'm currently a student and tend to save wherever I can, but it's always in the back of my mind, I do my best, and intend to do better once I start my career.
A few websites to check out on this topic would be: Environmental Working Group PBS: Need to Know and/or Food Matters.
Dirty Dozen:
Foods with the MOST pesticides.
- Apples
- Bell Peppers
- Blueberries
- Celery
- Cherries
- Grapes (imported)
- Kale/Spinach
- Lettuce
- Nectarines
- Peaches
- Potatoes
- Strawberries
Clean 15:
Foods with the LEAST pesticides.
- Asparagus
- Avocados
- Cabbage
- Cantaloupe
- Eggplant
- Grapefruit
- Kiwi
- Mango
- Onions
- Pineapples
- Sweet Corn
- Sweet Onions
- Sweet Peas
- Sweet Potatoes
- Watermelon
HAPPY EATING!!
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