The Red, White, and Green

Eating organic fruits and vegetables is the surefire way to go if you want to reduce your exposure to pesticides. But with household budgets tightening, choosing conventional produce over organic seems like a necessary way to cut costs. Thankfully, the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit organization that advocates for policies to protect individual and global health, just released the fifth version of its Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides, which shows you how to greatly reduce your exposure to pesticides, even when buying conventional produce. According to the EWG, people can lower their pesticide exposure by almost 80 percent by avoiding the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables. 

The “dirty dozen” this year are: peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, kale (new to the list), lettuce, imported grapes, carrots (also new to the list), and pears. If you want to reduce your risk (and if you’re wondering why you should, click here), always buy these organic, or don’t buy them at all.

The “clean 15″ are: onions, avocados, sweet corn, pineapple, mango, asparagus, sweet peas, kiwi, cabbage, eggplant, papaya, watermelon, broccoli, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes. If you’re looking to cut your grocery bill, it’s OK to buy these conventional. 

Download the easy-to-read list from the EWG website and post it on your fridge to remind you before your next trip to the market. Next week, I’ll do a mock grocery shopping using the list and report back on how much you can save by buying the “clean 15″ conventional versus organic.

–Jennifer Grayson

 Like this post? Subscribe to The Red, White, and Green RSS feed