Looking for food without pesticides?
The EWG has released its annual list of fruits and vegetables that are maybe coated in chemical, i.e., the 'Dirty Dozen.' They also publish a list of fruit and vegetables coated with the least amount of chemicals called the 'Clean 15'.
If you are not familiar with EWG or the Environmental Working Group, they are a watchdog group. These are the lists of foods that contain the most pesticides and the foods containing the least amount of pesticides, providing us a guide to eating foods without pesticides.
The Dirty Dozen is a list of the foods that are most likely to be contaminated by pesticides.
The Dirty Dozen includes:
- Celery
- Tomatoes - cherry
- Cucumbers
- Grapes
- Kale
- Nectarines
- Peaches
- Spinach
- Sweet Peppers
- Summer Squash
- Hot Peppers
- Potatoes
- Strawberries
Although eating a diet rich in fruit in vegetables outweighs the risk of foods contaminated with pesticides, washing your fruit will always help remove contaminants. To avoid the Dirty Dozen altogether, you can purchase organic fruits and vegetables.
Organic food is grown without pesticides. They often cost more than traditional foods — a great place to find organic fruits and vegetables in your local farmers market or co-op.
- Asparagus
- Avocados
- Kiwi
- Cabbage
- Sweet peas
- Sweet corn
- Mangoes
- Papayas
- Eggplant
- Onions
- Grapefruit
- Mushrooms
- Sweet potatoes
- Cantaloupe
- Pineapple
These are the least likely food grown without pesticides. Don't forget to wash these too! Learn more about eating clean: 15 and find fruits and vegetables with the least amount of pesticides.
To read the full article from EWG, visit EWG's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce.