The Dirty Dozen for 2011

Is your produce coated in pesticide? The Environmental Working Group released their 2011 list today of the best and worst fruits and vegetables when it comes to pesticide contamination. You can use this list to spend your money for organic foods most effectively.  Print this list and take it to the supermarket with you!

"Eat your fruits and vegetables! The health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables outweigh the risks of pesticide exposure. Use EWG's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides to reduce your exposures as much as possible, but eating conventionally-grown produce is far better than not eating fruits and vegetables at all. The Shopper's Guide to Pesticide in Produce will help you determine which fruits and vegetables have the most pesticide residues and are the most important to buy organic. You can lower your pesticide intake substantially by avoiding the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the least contaminated produce."

EWG's 2011 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce

Dirty Dozen

Buy these organic

1

Apples

2

Celery

3

Strawberries

4

Peaches

5

Spinach

6

Nectarines

– imported

7

Grapes – imported

8

Sweet bell peppers

9

Potatoes

10

Blueberries

– domestic

11

Lettuce

12

Kale/collard greens

Clean 15

Lowest in Pesticide

1

Onions

2

Sweet Corn

3

Pineapples

4

Avocado

5

Asparagus

6

Sweet peas

7

Mangoes

8

Eggplant

9

Cantaloupe

- domestic

10

Kiwi

11

Cabbage

12

Watermelon

13

Sweet potatoes

14

Grapefruit

15

Mushrooms

Vegging Out

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Healthy People 2010 data, only six percent of men and four percent of women eat enough vegetables. How sad is that? Especially when there are so many delicious and easy ways to incorporate more veggies into your diet. Of course, fresh local veggies are nice, but when it comes down to it simplicity and speed are huge determining factors for whether veggies make it onto your plate. Frozen veggies are a nutritious and easy alternative! They're inexpensive, last for months in the freezer, and can be purchased already chopped and ready to go! Here's a great article on CNN's Eatocracy with more ideas for incorporating more vegetables into your diet!: http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2011/01/10/vegetables-eat-them-heres-how/