Buying organic food is becoming a very popular trend in today’s health conscious society, and for good reason. The public is becoming increasingly aware of the tremendous amounts of pesticides being used in modern agriculture. These pesticides have many compounds that are unnatural and contain toxins that are harmful to humans and especially our precious children.

However, many people find it hard to fit going strictly organic into their budgets, or they find it hard to remember what produce is especially important to buy organic vs. conventionally grown. Luckily there is some simple but powerful research on what fruits and vegetables are highest and lowest in pesticides, making shopping with your health in mind easier and less costly.

It is important to remember that pesticides are poisons designed to kill living organisms, namely the bugs and critters on our food. However these substances can have potentially harmful affects on the human body. Some pesticides have been shown in long-term studies to be damaging to the nervous system and linked to neurological problems such as ADHD, hormonal imbalances, and cancer, and are specifically harmful to children.  Even the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) when randomly testing 5,000 people found that 96% of them detectable amounts of pesticides in their bodies.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a non-profit public health awareness group, which has come up with a great way to remember the most important fruits and vegetables to buy organic and which can be bought conventionally grown.  They have accomplished this by introducing the “Dirty Dozen” and the “Clean 15” groups of produce.

The “Dirty Dozen” is a group of produce that typically doesn’t have a protective covering that you peel off before eating. Additionally, some of these foods require more pesticide usage based on the insects and critters that are attracted to them as food. Therefore, these fruits and veggies have more exposure to pesticides that are virtually impossible to wash completely clean. Because of this these 12 fruits and veggies are especially important to buy organic. The list is in worst-to-least order, so make sure to buy organic apples, celery, strawberries, and peaches.

The "Dirty Dozen"

1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Strawberries
4. Peaches
5. Spinach
6. Nectarines
7. Grapes
8. Sweet Bell Peppers
9. Potatoes
10. Blueberries
11. Lettuce
12. Kale / Collard Greens

I juice a lot at home to get extra servings of fruits and veggies. I frequently juice apples and celery. This information about pesticides made me think about how to produce the cleanest, nutrient-rich juice, without pesticide residue. I will only juice organic apples and celery from now on. And in my 28-Days to health protein shakes I commonly use strawberries and blueberries, both on the “Dirty Dozen” list. So I now make sure I am only using these berries from organic sources.

The “Clean 15” is composed of fruits and vegetables that typically have a thick skin or outer shell that you peel off before eating. This prevents most of the pesticides from contacting the produce you actually eat. So when you are shopping for your next family meal, remember to watch out for the “Dirty Dozen” and buy these fruits and vegetables from the green organic section.

The "Clean 15"

1. Onions
2. Corn
3. Pineapples
4. Avocado
5. Asparagus
6. Sweet Peas
7. Mangoes
8. Eggplant
9. Cantaloupe
10. Kiwi
11. Cabbage
12. Watermelon
13. Sweet Potatoes
14. Grapefruit
15. Mushrooms