Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen for 2016

The Environmental Working Group has released their 2016 Clean Fifteen and Dirty Dozen lists! The Dirty Dozen list includes the foods that are most contaminated with pesticide residues and the Clean Fifteen list includes the foods that are the least contaminated.




The Dirty Dozen includes:
1. Strawberries
2. Apples
3. Nectarines
4. Peaches
5. Celery
6. Grapes
7. Cherries
8. Spinach
9. Tomatoes
10. Sweet bell peppers
11. Cherry tomatoes
12. Cucumbers
These foods are listed in order of pesticide residue contamination with number 1 (strawberries) being the most contaminated.

The Dirty Dozen Plus includes:
1. Leafy Greens (Kale and Collard Greens)
2. Hot Peppers
These foods are contaminated with especially concerning residues, organophosphate and carbamate insecticides, which are particularly harmful to our central nervous system.

The Clean Fifteen includes:
1. Avocados
2. Sweet Corn
3. Pineapple
4. Cabbage
5. Frozen Sweet Peas
6. Onions
7. Asparagus
8. Mangos
9. Papaya
10. Kiwi
11. Eggplant
12. Honeydew Melon
13. Grapefruit
14. Cantaloupe
15. Cauliflower
These foods are listed in opposite order than the Dirty Dozen with number 1 (avocados) being the least contaminated.

Each year, these lists provide us with excellent information that we can use as helpful guidelines when buying our food - aiming to eat only certified organic Dirty Dozen foods when possible is a great strategy to reduce our pesticide exposure and to support our overall health.  See http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/index.php for more info.