Choosing to buy organic food is a double-whammy of goodness – – not only is it healthier for your family, but it also helps support a more sustainable environment and economy. With that said, I know budgets are tight and sometimes a special shopping trip is needed to find organic produce, (Local Harvest is a great resource for finding a farmer’s market near you).
I recommend buying organic when you can – – but when you can’t, you can use Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce to help remember The Dirty Dozen – the 12 fruits and veggies that have been shown to contain the most residual pesticides and are the most important to buy organic.
- Apples
- Celery
- Strawberries
- Peaches
- Spinach
- Nectarines (imported)
- Grapes (imported)
- Sweet Bell Peppers
- Potatos
- Blueberries (domestic)
- Lettuce
- Kale / Collard Greens
The Clean 15 – the fruits/veggies least likely to test positive for residual pesticides – are safer to choose conventionally grown: Onions, Sweet Corn, Pineapple, Avocado, Asparagus, Sweet Peas, Mangoes, Eggplant, Cantaloupe (domestic), Kiwi, Cabbage, Watermelon, Sweet Potatoes, Grapefruit, Mushrooms.
You can get the nitty-gritty on the research and data about your other favorite fruits/veggies on EWG’s website.
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This is such a great post!! At one time, when I first started to make the switch to organic, I felt a little frustrated and overwhelmed … to buy strictly organic I’d either need a much bigger food budget or do without a lot. Then I learned that there were better and worse choices. I was so relieved and felt that I could buy some organic and still be healthy! More and more organics are showing up on our shelves and the price continues to get better but it’s good to know that when buying all organics is cost prohibitive, we can prioritize our purchases. Thank you for this list … and the reminder! :-)
Sometimes we get so busy that it’s helpful to have those little reminders of the things we already know :) Glad you enjoyed the post!
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