The Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15

Have you heard of the Dirty Dozen? And no, I'm not talking about that one. I'm talking about a list of 12 fruits and vegetables that contain the most pesticides. I've come across this list in many places, one being in my new cookbook which my sweet husband got me for my birthday and I helped pick out.

Now that I've decided to step into the world of organic foods, albeit very slowly, I want to make the best choices. We can't really afford to buy everything organic, so I want to know that I'm spending money on things that make the most sense.  I am finding the list very helpful because it not only makes me realize that a lot of produce I eat is on the list but by rating the produce in this way, I'm also able to see which items I can buy non-organic. 

The Dirty Dozen: (Ie: Buy Organic if Possible) 

In our house? I'm going to try to eliminate these 12 altogether if non-organic is not available or too expensive to buy. This is a huge challenge for me, but you are my witnesses. Done.

1. Celery
2. Peaches
3. Strawberries
4. Apples
5. Blueberries
6. Nectarines
7. Bell Peppers
8. Spinach
9. Kale
10. Cherries
11. Potatoes
12. Imported Grapes

 From what I'm piecing together, it seems that the pesticide levels are so high in these 12 that no amount of scrubbing will remove them, and if you buy organic in just these 12 items, you can reduce your pesticide exposure CONSIDERABLY,  by up to 80%. Well, that's about all it took to convince me not to buy the 2lbs of strawberries for $1.50 that I saw at the grocery store. Celery doesn't bother me a lot, because we rarely use it. Bell peppers break my heart, because we love them so and so far Spud.ca is only carrying green ones, which, let's be honest, does anyone really love? And we've also eliminated grapes here. sad, sad.

But, there is hope: even if you can't buy organic, there is a happy list of produce that is said to be safe to eat non-organic.
I introduce you to the Clean 15:

1. Onions
2. Avocados
3. Sweet Corn
4. Pineapples
5. Mango
6. Sweet Peas
7. Asparagus
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Cantaloupe
12. Watermelon
13. Grapefruit
14. Sweet Potatoe
15. Honeydew

Bananas, tomatoes, broccoli, oranges, squash, etc. all fall in the middle somewhere, if you were wondering.

There's too much to say here, but if you want more information, check out this.  Look around the site, and seriously, watch the video. I know I'm inspired.