The Dirty Dozen and Cleanest 12

           

We all hear about eating whole foods and organic ones. Is there a difference between organic and conventional? Well since most people can't buy everything organic, or necessarily don't have to get everything organic, what are the most important things to purchase organically? What are the things that are not a big deal to buy organic? 

Buying organic means that the food is not laced with harmful chemicals, pesticides, usually non-GMO, and it's pretty much left in it's natural state. There are some foods to watch out for because they have the highest amount of chemicals and pesticides found on them, which seems to be a result of not being very resistant to disease...so they load chemicals on them to get a good crop. The scale ranges from 1 to 100 with 100 having the highest pesticide load found (the food is tested and that's how they determined the scale). Some researchers and studies say that if you avoid the "Dirty Dozen" of highest pesticide foods then you can avoid 90% of your pesticide exposure (Environmental Working Group).

Why are pesticides harmful? They are harmful because they cause disease and kill good cells in your body. Think about it, they spray them on plants to KILL insects. If you were to touch the chemicals then you would have to call poison control and probably go to the hospital. So we spray them on our food, transport to the store, buy, then take home and eat. Hmm. Sure it is in smaller amounts but it adds up. Anyways, there's much more I could say but how about we just get to the lists? Hopefully this will help you with grocery shopping and really knowing what you should or shouldn't buy organically. 

“THE DIRTY DOZEN (HIGHEST PESTICIDE LOAD)"

• Peaches 100

• Apples 96

• Celery 94

• Sweet Bell Peppers 86

• Nectarines 84

• Strawberries 83

• Potatoes 81

• Cherries 75

• Lettuce 69

• Grapes (Imported) 68

• Pears 65

• Spinach 60

THE CLEANEST TWELVE

• Avocado 1

• Onions 1

• Sweet Corn (Frozen) 2

• Pineapple 7

• Mango 9

• Asparagus 11

• Sweet Peas (Frozen) 11

• Kiwi Fruit 14

• Bananas 16

• Cabbage 17

• Broccoli 18

• Eggplant 19

Now you know that you could buy the cheaper avocados and the bag of onions from a store like Aldi, but get that more expensive bag of organic apples from your local organic store or Whole Foods, you'll be a wiser shopper. You're lightening the financial load on your budget and yourself but knowing that you are making the best eating choices for you and your family. Happy Shopping!

Excerpt From: John Calbom MA & Cherie Calbom MS. “Juicing, Fasting, and Detoxing for Life.” Wellness Central, 2008-07-30. iBooks. 

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