In reading an article about prioritizing purchases of organic produce, I learned that different fruits and vegetables have different levels of chemical uptake from pesticides and herbicides. A dietician friend corroborated the story and introduced me to the term, "The Dirty Dozen," which refers to the 12 nastiest fruits and vegetables. Bottom line is, if you want to start reducing your exposure to potentially harmful food-borne chemicals, buy organic when choosing from the dirty dozen list. Or heck, if you can afford it, buy organic food exclusively.
The dirty dozen list follows. Click here for a full list of 43 fruits and vegetables and their respective pesticide loads.
- Peaches
- Apples
- Sweet Bell Peppers
- Celery
- Nectarines
- Strawberries
- Cherries
- Lettuce
- Grapes - Imported
- Pears
- Spinach
- Potatoes
Posts
