The main reason that we buy organic is to avoid those toxic chemicals, but researchers from The Environmental Working Group are claiming that we may not need to go all organic if we are more aware of what we are buying. Certain types of produce may contain more or less pesticide residue based on several factors, one particularly being how porous their skin is. This group put together two lists, The Dirty Dozen & The Clean 15 to help consumers know when its necessary or unnecessary to buy organic, and if we follow these guidelines we can reduce the amount of toxins we consume by 80%...WOW!
The DiRtY DoZeN (Need to buy Organic)
1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Strawberries
4. Peaches
5. Spinach
6. Nectarines (Imported)
7. Grapes (Imported)
8. Sweet Bell Peppers
9. Potatoes
10. Blueberries (Domestic)
11. Lettuce
12. Kale Collard Greens
The CLEAN 15 (Okay to buy Non-Organic)
1. Onion
2. Sweet Corn
3. Pineapple
4. Avocado
5. Asparagus
6. Sweet Peas
7. Mangos
8. Eggplant
9. Cantaloupe (Domestic)
10. Kiwi
11. Cabbage
12. Watermelon
13. Sweet Potatoes
14. Grapefruit
15. Mushrooms
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Sources
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/health/the-dirty-dozen-and-clean-15-of-produce/616/
http://www.naturalhomeandgarden.com/natural-health/2011-dirty-dozen-clean-15-lists.aspx
http://ilikeitorganic.com/2011/07/dirty-dozen-clean-fifteen/
Photo: http://georgiaag.com/?page_id=215
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this is what I like so much about your blog. It is so honest. So good to know there are 15 foods we do NOT need to buy organic. I'm all for organic, but if I can save a little and buy these 15 non organic, I probably will!
ReplyDeleteTruthfully, the 15 items that are not necessary to be organic make sense, well, at least 12 of them do. Basically, they are all foods you peel the outer layer off before consuming. Thanks for the informative post. It is nice to see where I can be saving money by not needing organic goods...
ReplyDeleteI see that corn is on the clean list but I've wondering about that lately because a lot of corn is genetically modified. If I don't want genetically modified corn, wouldn't it be better to buy it organic?
ReplyDeleteHey Chelsie!
DeleteYes you are correct...in order to avoid GMOs or GEOs you have to go the organic route for corn, soybeans, wheat, etc...this post was particularly focusing on pesticides and other harmful chemicals on the surface of the produce that could be avoided, in efforts to give readers some other options incase they are unable to completely switch to going all organic :) But you are not the first to bring this up and ask this question which leads me to think that I should address it in the post....Thank you for your comment! I sincerely appreciate it! And thanks for checking out my blog and taking an interest in it!!
-Susanah
Ok, thank you and thanks for sharing your knowledge and helping all of us! :)
DeleteWhat a helpful post! Strawberries are the big one for me, probably the only one I'd spend significantly more money on, but it's so nice to know there are lots of things I don't need to feel bad about NOT buying organic! Wonderful blog!
ReplyDeleteAnna....So glad this is helpful to you!! And thank you so much for checking out my blog! I really appreciate it :)
Delete-Susanah
Love this list! Thanks for sharing! but I really wonder why mushrooms (#15) is okay non-organic? It seems "not like the others" in that there is no exterior skin to protect it, and it is also so close to the ground. Interesting!
ReplyDeletei haven't done any research yet, but i've watched documentaries about growing mushrooms and i'm pretty sure they don't need any pesticides. I might be wrong though....
ReplyDeleteI was wondering about celery. I often end up using a vegetable peeler on them to remove the strings. Would that help cut down on the pesticides?
ReplyDelete