The dirty dozen

My wallet and I understand purchasing organic fruits and veggies can simply be too expensive. But it doesn't have to be an all-or-none decision. With a little knowledge, you can decide which pieces of produce you should buy organic, and which ones you can let slide.

I'd be a bad health advocate if I didn't start off by saying (1) it's always best to buy local and in season, and (2) buying organic is also much better for the environment and, therefore, better for everyone.

The Environmental Working Group tested 49 of the most commonly eaten fruits and veggies-conventionally grown- to see how much pesticide residue they contained. All the produce was washed and peeled (if normally consumed this way) before testing began. This little table identifies those with the highest and lowest pesticide content. You can see how all 49 produce items ranked here.

The EWG reported that people who eat their 5 a day from the dirty dozen list consume an average of 10 pesticides a day. If eaten from the clean fifteen list you only take in an average of 2 pesticides a day.

Don't know why you should care about pesticides? This page helps break down why.

By the way, peeling conventional produce helps reduce pesticide residue, but takes away valuable nutrients.