The Environmental Working Group (EWG) released its 2014 Dirty Dozen™ last week. The list exposes the most pesticide-contaminated produce. Apples were at the top of the list again, followed by strawberries and grapes.
Although washing produce thoroughly can help reduce the pesticide residue, I would still recommend choosing organic, especially for those first 12 (or dirty dozen).
Organic produce can be very expensive, so if you are on a tight budget, consider filling your shopping cart with produce that was found to have the least amount of pesticide residue, like avocados, pineapples and cabbage. This list is call the Clean Fifteen™.
EWG also offers two great tools for those who may find sticking to this list too expensive or limited, or even time-consuming. The first is EWG’s Shoppers Guide to Pesticides in Produce 2014™, which can be downloaded as a PDF or used as an app for your smart phone.
The second tool is Good Food on a Tight Budget, a site that offers tips on saving money on food, as well as tasty recipes!
Happy eating!
Photo from here, with thanks.
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