Understanding the Dirty Dozen is vital in your quest to reduce your daily toxin consumption. Consuming foods with less pesticides is best for your health. Interested in learning what the Dirty Dozen is and why it matters? Keep reading!
The Dirty Dozen Explained
The Dirty Dozen is a list of twelve fruits and vegetables with the highest levels of pesticides. Each year, fruits and vegetables are tested for their pesticide levels and added to or removed from the Dirty Dozen list. Created by the Environmental Working Ground (EWG), the list is a great starting point to reduce the level of pesticides you consume.
Purchasing organic food, usually pesticide-free or containing trace amounts of pesticides, isn’t accessible for everyone. The Dirty Dozen list outlines which conventional fruits and vegetables to avoid because of their high levels of pesticide contamination.
Who creates the list?
The EWG compiles the list based on a recent “analysis of the latest fruit and vegetable testing data from the Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration. The 2023 guide includes data from 46,569 samples of 46 fruits and vegetables” (EWG, 2023).
2023 Dirty Dozen
Below is 2023’s Dirty Dozen list, according to EWG.
- Strawberries
- Spinach
- Kale, Collard & Mustard Greens
- Peaches
- Pears
- Nectarines
- Apples
- Grapes
- Bell & Hot Peppers
- Cherries
- Blueberries
- Green Beans
When possible, purchase the above twelve fruits and vegetables in organic form.
Why Does the Dirty Dozen Matter?
The Dirty Dozen list matters for a couple of reasons.
The first reason why the list matters is awareness. Today, there are many dietary options available on the market, like conventional, organic, gluten-free, keto, paleo, and more. Simply being aware of the various options can be just the push you need to start being more mindful about what you put into your body. Pesticide levels are something to be mindful of. While you may continue to purchase conventional fruits and veggies, the list is still available for you to increase your awareness of pesticides in your food.
The second reason why the list matters is accessibility. Not everyone can afford a 100% organic diet. Believe me, I completely understand! While I do my best to consume a majority organic diet, sometimes my budget just doesn’t allow it. When necessary, I refer to the list and make it a priority to purchase the “dirty” fruits and veggies in the organic aisle.
When you can’t or don’t want to consume organic foods, check out the Clean Fifteen. The list is also compiled by the EWG. The following fifteen fruits and vegetables had the lowest tested amounts of pesticides. So, these are the best conventional (non-organic) products to purchase.
The Clean Fifteen
- Corn
- Watermelon
- Sweet Potatoes
- Mangoes
- Mushrooms
- Cabbage
- Kiwi
- Honeydew melon
- Asparagus
- Sweet Peas (frozen)
- Papaya
- Onions
- Pineapples
- Sweet Corn
- Avocadoes
Did this article help you to understand how to reduce your pesticide consumption? I’d love to see it in a comment below!
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Until my next adventure, xoxo
