Where is it important to go Organic first?
- supqa5
- Nov 28, 2014
- 2 min read
When you initially start your cleaner eating journey, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with the endless options. I always recommend people to start out slow, pick a few things to purchase organic, and go from there. But there are many items with the USDA Organic label on them, so which should you make sure to choose first?
Luckily there is a list called “The Dirty Dozen”. These 12 foods are the ones you want to be sure you always purchase organic. I realize this is a pretty bold statement! So let me tell you why you should put your money toward them.
The fruits and vegetables on “The Dirty Dozen” list, when conventionally grown, tested positive for at least 47 different chemicals, with some testing positive for as many as 67! I don’t know about you, but that statistic completely grosses me out!
The Fruits and Veggies on this list include:
Celery
Peaches
Strawberries
Apples
Domestic Blueberries
Nectarines
Sweet Bell peppers
Spinach, Kale and Collard Greens
Cherries
Potatoes
Imported Grapes
Lettuce
(Lists vary. Also often included are: imported snap peas, hot peppers, and cucumbers)
I won’t lie, I didn’t know there was a “dirty dozen” list until about 6 months ago. It was hard to comprehend that many of my favorite HEALTHY foods, could in fact be unhealthy simply because of all the chemicals sprayed on them before they reached my grocery cart.
This graph is an excellent visual of the amount of chemicals lurking on this tasty produce:
But before you despair that you will have to spend your hard earned dollars buying ALL organic produce, I present to you the "Clean Fifteen"! A lovely list of 15 foods that are safer to buy non-organic as they generally test very low for pesticides. You'll note that many foods on this list have an outer skin or rind, thus providing the extra protection from harmful things!
The produce on this list are:
Avocados
Sweet Corn
Pineapples
Cabbage
Sweet Peas (frozen)
Onions
Asparagus
Mangoes
Papaya
Kiwi
Eggplant
Grapefruit
Canteloupe
Cauliflower
Sweet Potatoes
(And once again, the lists vary. You can also add watermelon and mushrooms to this list!)
Before wrapping this post up, I'd like to add one final note, in the words of Dr. Andrew Weil: "When it comes to pesticide use, there is more to consider than just the residues that are ingested by the consumer. Although peeled foods such as mangoes, avocadoes and kiwis may spare the consumer from significant pesticide exposure, it is possible that large amounts of pesticides and herbicides are used on the farms from which these originate, contaminating groundwater, promoting erosion and otherwise damaging local ecosystems. To help promote the health of the planet as well as your own health, it's best to buy organic whenever possible, including when you are purchasing the foods listed above."
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