Dirty Dozen, and What to Buy Organic

So the List, The ‘Dirty Dozen’, refers to the most contaminated produce. These are the items that you should buy organic. It can be hard, because of the cost difference, and especially with berries, sometimes the deal for the inorganic just seems so good its hard to turn down, but here are the items you should buy organic, no-matter-what…

1. Sweet Bell Peppers
2. Celery
3. Potatoes
4. Tomatoes
5. Spinach
6. Strawberries
7. Apples
8. Nectarines
9. Peaches
10. Grapes
11. Cherries
12. Pears

Its not a huge list, and these aren’t by any means the ONLY contaminated foods, but these are the worst offenders. Pesticides have been linked to risks in brain development for a fetus as well as for children in early childhood. Pesticides have also been linked to neurologic disorders, including Parkinson’s disease. Its not to say that occasional ingestion will cause you to have Parkinson’s, but its not something I would ever chance..

Now that the scary stuff is out there, here are the things you probably DON’T need to buy organic, because they generally have the lowest amount of contaminants.

1. Cauliflower
2. Broccoli
3. Eggplants
4. Asparagus
5. Sweet Peas
6. Sweet Corn
7. Onions
8. Cabbage
9. Avocados
10. Papaya
11. Pineapple
12. Mango
13. Kiwi
14. Honeydew Melon
15. Cantelope

Its not on a list, but I don’t buy organic bananas. They have a skin that’s like 1/3 inch thick… I have no real science to back this up, lol, but I do make sure I don’t buy bananas from evil companies that propagate eco-terrorism… its a whole banana thing, I’m not kidding… Google it.