In honor of Earth Day, I am dedicating this week’s column to the topic of organic produce, which — you of course know — is food grown without use of certain pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. Each year the Environmental Working Group publishes its infamous “dirty dozen,” listing the fruits and veggies with the highest concentrations of pesticides. Basically, 12 foods for which you should always opt organic.
Meanwhile, EWG’s “clean fifteen” lists the foods least laden with potentially harmful chemicals.
This Earth Day, why not spend that extra dollar. Go organic. Your body and the environment will thank you.
Dirty Dozen
1. Strawberries
2. Spinach
3. Nectarines
4. Apples
5. Grapes
6. Peaches
7. Cherries
8. Pears
9. Tomatoes
10. Celery
11. Potatoes
12. Sweet bell peppers
Clean Fifteen
1. Avocado
2. Corn
3. Pineapple
4. Cabbage
5. Onion
6. Frozen sweet peas
7. Papaya
8. Asparagus
9. Mango
10. Eggplant
11. Honeydew melon
12. Kiwi
13. Cantaloupe melon
14. Cauliflower
15. Broccoli