Have you ever heard of the Dirty Dozen? It’s is a reference to the 12 kinds of fruits and vegetables that you absolutely must buy organic produce because these are heavily sprayed with pesticides.
Pesticides contribute to toxicity in the body, which means that we are more likely to suffer from allergies, a weakened immune system, and digestive problems, among other things.
Many conventionally-grown fruits and veggies that have thin skins or have skins that you consume are toxic. As a general rule, you want to make sure that any produce you buy that has a thin skin is organic. Buying organic will limit the number of environmental toxins entering your body that wreak havoc on your overall health.
While it is always best to buy organic whenever possible, this doesn’t work for every budget. The Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen were created for this exact reason: to help you know the top 12 foods that you MUST buy organic and the top 15 that can be purchased conventionally.
DIRTY DOZEN:
- Peaches
- Apples
- Sweet Bell Peppers
- Celery
- Nectarines
- Cherries
- Pears
- Grapes (imported)
- Spinach
- Lettuce
- Potatoes
CLEAN FIFTEEN:
- Avocados
- Sweet Corn
- Pineapples
- Cabbage
- Sweat Peas (frozen)
- Onions
- Asparagus
- Mangoes
- Papayas
- Kiwi
- Eggplant
- Grapefruit
- Cantaloupe (domestic)
- Cauliflower
- Sweet Potatoes