The Dirty Dozen

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

I know "The Dirty Dozen" sounds like some kind of mobster movie for the 70's.  But when you are talking in terms of produce, the dirty dozen and clean fifteen are references to fruits and veggies with the highest and lowest pesticide contamination levels.  Ever since I have been teaching classes on homemade baby food, I have had moms asking me whether they should be using organic produce.  Personally, I use this list as a guide for when to go organic, and when conventionally farmed fruits and veggies are okay.  Unfortunately our weekly budget doesn't allow us to go totally organic, so we need to pick and choose when to spend the extra money.

Eating produce without pesticides may reduce your risk of getting cancer and other diseases. And according to the Environmental Working Group, avoiding fruits and veggies containing pesticides or choosing certain organic produce can reduce the amount of toxins you consume on a daily basis by as much as 80%.

Check out the lists below:

 

The Dirty Dozen

• Peaches- 96.7% of samples tested positive for pesticides, 87% for multiple pesticides
• Apples- 94.1% tested positive, 82.3% for multiple pesticides
• Sweet Bell Peppers- 81.5% tested positive, 62.2% for multiple pesticides
• Celery- 94.1% tested positive, 79.8% for multiple pesticides
• Nectarines- 97.3% tested positive, 85.3% for multiple pesticides
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Kale- 53.1% for multiple pesticides
• Lettuce
• Imported Grapes
• Carrots- 82.3% tested positive
• Pears

 

The Clean Fifteen

• Onions- no detectable residues on 90% or more of samples, zero samples positive for multiple pesticides
• Avocado- less than 10% tested positive, less than 1% for multiple pesticides
• Frozen Sweet Corn- no detectable residues on 90% or more of samples, zero samples positive for multiple pesticides
• Pineapples- less than 10% tested positive, less than 1% for multiple pesticides
• Mango- less than 10% tested positive, less than 1% for multiple pesticides
• Asparagus- no detectable residues on 90% or more of samples
• Frozen Sweet Peas- 77.1% had no detectable pesticides
• Kiwi
• Cabbage- 82.1% had no detectable pesticides
• Eggplant- 75.4% had no detectable pesticides
• Papaya
• Watermelon- 28.1% tested positive, 9.5% for multiple pesticides
• Broccoli- 65.2% had no detectable pesticides
• Tomatoes- 53.1% had no detectable pesticides, 13.5% positive for multiple pesticides
• Sweet Potatoes and Grapefruit tie

Related articles

• How Well Do You Know the Dirty Dozen? (fitsugar.com)
• A Pesticide Produce Guide For Your Pocket (fitsugar.com)
• Pesticides on fruit and veg 'are wrecking men's fertility' (dailymail.co.uk)
• Harmful Pesticide in fruits (yantaufik46.wordpress.com)
• Buying Organic (thegreengirls.com)