Every year the Environmental Working Group releases a list of the “Dirty Dozen” – the 12 most pesticide-contaminated of 48 fruits and vegetables, based on testing data from the US Department of Agriculture, as well as the Food and Drug Administration. There’s even a “Dirty Dozen Plus” of two types of produce that aren’t just contaminated with pesticides – they’re contaminated with pesticides that are “unusually hazardous.”
Let’s face it – it’s hard to get everything organic, whether you don’t have many organic options where you live, or you can’t afford all-organic-all-the-time. That’s why it’s kind of awesome that the EWG also has a “Clean Fifteen” list – the fifteen least contaminated produce. For example, I don’t buy avocados organic and I’m okay with that, since they’re the cleanest of all the produce evaluated.
What if you can’t buy organic at all? The EWG is always careful to remind consumers that it’s always better to eat fruit and veggies rather than skip them entirely, even if you can only buy conventionally-grown produce.
When faced with the, “I’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news…” statement, I always go for the bad news first.
2014 EWG Dirty Dozen
1. Apples. 99% of samples tested positive for pesticide residue.
2. Strawberries. When I was 7 years old I put strawberry plants on my wish list for Santa. Turns out, a couple of months later was also the time I realized I do NOT have a green thumb.
3. Grapes. How many times have you seen someone sneakily pop one in their mouth at the market? I bet they don’t know about this list!
4. Celery. No mention of whether the vodka in your Bloody Mary will eliminate the pesticides…
5. Peaches. I have the Presidents of the United States of America ‘Peaches’ song in my head, I don’t know about you.
6. Spinach. Medieval artists used to get green pigment from spinach.
7. Sweet Bell Peppers. In Australia these are called capsicum.
8. Nectarines (imported). Did you know that peach seeds can grow into nectarine trees and vice versa? Nectarines are actually just fuzz-free peaches.
9. Cucumbers. Cucumbers are 95% water. Try adding slices to a pitcher of water for delicious flavored water.
10. Cherry Tomatoes. Roman calls these bubble tomatoes because they pop in his mouth.
11. Snap peas (imported). I get sugar snap peas from the farmers’ market – you can eat them pod and all and they’re a delicious snack.
12. Potatoes. Another reason to skip the fries next time you’re eating out.
And the two Dirty Dozen Plus “winners”? Leafy greens (i.e. kale and collard greens) and hot peppers. Buy these two organic, if you buy nothing else organic!
Okay, now we have that out of the way, it’s time for the good news – here are the fruits and veggies you can feel good about buying conventional.
2014 EWG Clean Fifteen
1. Avocados. The cleanest of all the produce tested – go ahead and order the guac.
2. Sweet Corn. An ear of corn contains 800 kernels on average.
3. Pineapples. I admit, I not only buy this non-organic, I even pay more to have the pre-cut pineapple. It’s just so time-consuming to cut up.
4. Cabbage. I had two Cabbage Patch Kids when I was a little girl, at the height of the craze. One was named Jacqueline (I named her myself) and I don’t remember the other one’s name. Luckily that didn’t reflect on my later-in-life parenting skills.
5. Sweet Peas (frozen). My favorite term of endearment to use is sweet pea.
6. Onions. In Ancient Egypt, onions symbolized eternity and people were often buried with onions.
7. Asparagus. Somewhere between 22% and 50% of people (depends on what study you read) think their pee smells funny after eating asparagus. Being able to smell it is genetic.
8. Mangoes. The symbol of love in India. Plus, the paisley pattern is based on the shape of a mango.
9. Papayas. Guess what? These are called something else in Australia as well – paw paw.
10. Kiwi. These have more vitamin C than citrus fruits.
11. Eggplant. It’s a myth that you need to salt eggplant to reduce the bitterness. The bitter taste has been cultivated out of eggplant.
12. Grapefruit. One of my favorite fruits and I have a client who sends me a box every winter from a tree in her vacation home’s backyard.
13. Cantaloupe. Again, Aussies don’t say cantaloupe. It’s ‘rockmelon’ over there.
14. Cauliflower. This is a cruciferous vegetable, which could be cancer-preventative.
15. Sweet Potatoes. All the Paleo people rejoice!
Don’t see your favorite? It’s probably somewhere in between on the list. You can read the full report and see the whole list here.
Want to compare to the 2013 list? here’s my post from last year (also: I drew on fruit).
Okay this always makes me sad as the dirty dozen are the fruit and vegetables I eat the most….and I very very rarely wash my apples….or any of them to be honest, other than celery. I need to get on this. They say you just need to buy organic and/or wash them right?
Tina Muir recently posted…Elite Athlete Eats: First and only WIAW
I think it’s buying organic that they suggest, because I don’t think you can wash off the pesticide residue. They’re very clear to note that it’s WAY better to eat conventional fruit & veggies rather than not at all!
It saddens me that so much pesticide is used. And that so much produce comes from half way around the world. That said, I wash everything and buy organic sometimes. This is why I love gardening. Oh come on…cut that pineapple…it’s a great arm workout! 😀
Marcia recently posted…A Jaunt on an AlterG
Ha ha ha, I was waiting for someone to call me out on being too lazy to cut the pineapple up! 😉 I buy as much organic as I can, but it’s tough. It’s definitely easier when the farmer’s market is nearby, because it’s cheaper than the stores.
I know eating organic is better but I do feel like it is an expense. Imake sure I wash them thoughouly before eating them. I haven’t gotten sick yet.
lacey@fairytaledandfitness recently posted…A Foot Question, Miserable Walkers, and a Porsche
It can be so expensive, for sure. I buy as much as I can afford, but I don’t get too hung up on it. When we were first making food for my son, I always made sure he got everything organic, though.
I can never keep all of this straight! I usually just follow the rule that if a fruit or veggie has a thicker skin (like a banana) then I don’t buy organic! It’s so expensive and I need to save some to get the organic chicken because I don’t need a list to see what issues those babies have if they’re not 🙂 Thanks for this!! I may refer to it at the supermarket when I’m there…every other day!
Allie recently posted…STOP Voting For My Runner’s World Cover Photo!
Yup, I pretty much do the same thing. Anything on the clean 15 I’l get conventional for sure. I’d much rather spend money on organic dairy and meat as well.
First of all, I just saw your photo on Instagram. It’s hard to believe they are ever that small! What a cutie!
Second, I love your commentary on the fruit and veg. I had to get used to calling everything by different names when I lived in Australia. Another good one (not part of the dirty dozen or clean 15) is cilantro aka coriander.
Totally agree with you about pineapples. I hate cutting up those and mangoes!
Britt@MyOwnBalance recently posted…Ola Brazil!
He was SO TINY! I never wanted him to get bigger. 🙂 But every single age and stage since then, I’ve thought, “Oh, this is my favorite age!” Ha ha ha.
Yes! Coriander/cilantro was so confusing for me at first. It took me about 6 months of living here to realize they actually did have that herb for sale over here!!
I try to buy organic when I can but I also don’t go out of my way to go to grocery stores in the city that have them. Luckily for me mangos are okay. I buy them cut up as well as the pineapple. I’m lazy like that.
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I’m so glad it’s not just me who pays more for the cut-up fruit!!
What?? Peaches and nectarines? I had no idea! We only eat kale from our own garden this time of year and it’s definitely pesticide free! Not pest free, though! The critters love it.
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Isn’t that weird? Apparently farmers graft nectarine branches onto peach trees to ensure they get both fruit!! I had no idea either until I started googling for this post.
We call papayas paw paw in Trinidad as well! I grew up thinking that papaya was something totally different haha
Thanks for sharing this list!
GiselleR @ Diary of an ExSloth recently posted…5 Healthy Living Myths you need to stop believing
I thought papaya was a totally different fruit for a while when I first moved to the US!