There is a concept in nutrition known as the “Dirty Dozen” and the “Clean 15.” This commonly used parlance describes the 12 fruits and vegetables that you should buy organic whenever possible. Likewise, the “Clean 15” refer to the 15 fruits and vegetables you don’t need to always buy organic. The reasoning for this is on average these 12 fruits and vegetables have higher pesticide levels. If you are trying to eat healthy on a budget this is an easy way to do it.
For me personally, I prefer to buy all my produce organic. I do this because I have the money to spend on healthy food and that way I can be sure my fruit and vegetables don’t have pesticides and other chemicals used on them. I also think it is important to support companies that grow healthy organic produce. If your limited on funds though, one option would be to avoid buying the “Dirty Dozen” unless you can buy them organic. One Green Planet put this great infographic together that lists the “Dirty Dozen” and the “Clean 15” visually.
The foods commonly referred to as the “Dirty Dozen” include apples, grapes, strawberries, spinach, peaches, imported snap peas, sweet bell peppers, cucumbers, celery, imported nectarines, and potatoes. The “Clean 15” include pineapple, onion, eggplant, avocado, corn, cabbage, frozen sweet peas, asparagus, kiwi, cantaloupe, grapefruit, cauliflower, and sweet potatoes. Print this list out and next time you go to Whole Foods or another grocery store you save yourself some money.
