clean & dirty

uptake

The grocery store can be a tough (and expensive) place to navigate when trying to eat healthy. Luckily, the Environmental Working Group publishes the "dirty dozen" and the "clean fifteen".  These lists of the most and least pesticide-laden fruits and vegetables can help us decide where to spend on organic produce.  It's nice to know you don't have to drop your "whole paycheck" to lead a healthy lifestyle.

The dirty dozen:
Pears, Peaches, Potatoes, Bell Peppers, Grapes (imported), Strawberries/Blueberries, Spinach, Nectarines, Apples, Celery, Lettuce, Cherries).

As for the "clean fifteen", if it has a skin that you don't eat, the chances are better that the produce has a lower level of pesticides and can be bought conventionally grown, but in season and local when possible.  Here is the list: onions, avocados, sweet corn, pineapples, mangoes, sweet peas, asparagus, kiwi, cabbage, eggplant, cantaloupe, watermelon, grapefruit, sweet potatoes, and honeydew melon.

enjoy....