EWG Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen: 2016

strawberryThe Environmental Working Group (EWG) released its 2016 Dirty Dozen™ last week. The list exposes the most pesticide-contaminated produce. This year strawberries beat out apples for top spot on the Dirty Dozen list. USDA tests found that strawberries are the fresh produce most likely to be contaminated with pesticide residues, even after they are picked, rinsed in the field and washed before eating.

Although washing produce thoroughly can help reduce the pesticide residue, I would still recommend choosing organically grown produce when possible, especially for foods on the 2016 Dirty Dozen™ list. Continue reading “EWG Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen: 2016”

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2014 Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen

appleThe 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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Let There Be Light in the Vegetable Drawer

vegetable drawerWith the excessive use of pesticides and herbicides in commercial agriculture, we might forget that plants actually have their own methods for protecting themselves against pests and harsh environmental stressors. While the protections of our domesticated species may not be as potent as those of their wild ancestors, how else could these plants have survived to see the day they would be coddled by our industrial methods in a sunny California field?

Compounds like resveratrol in grapes, lycopene in tomatoes, anthocyanins in blueberries, sulforophane and glucosinolates in broccoli and other brassica vegetables… they are sun-protecting pigments, insect poisons or off-putting bitter flavors that we’re beginning to realize may have strong antioxidant, anti-cancer and disease-fighting benefits in humans.  Continue reading “Let There Be Light in the Vegetable Drawer”

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Three Reasons Your Strawberries Should Be Organic

strawberry1

After a long winter of tasteless and overpriced fruit, it’s hard not to reach for that pint of strawberries as soon as they arrive in the grocery store. Even those of us who prioritize organic produce most of the time might buckle. But science says we should hold strong, and buy organic if we can. Among the “dirtiest” fruits, the USDA pesticide data program detected 54 different pesticide residues on conventional strawberries, many of which are known carcinogens, endocrine disruptors and neurotoxins. So what makes strawberries so bad?  Continue reading “Three Reasons Your Strawberries Should Be Organic”

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EWG’s Dirty Dozen Produce List for 2013

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) released their Dirty Dozen™ for 2013 on Monday. The list outs the most pesticide-contaminated produce. This year, apples topped the list, followed by celery and cherry tomatoes.  Although washing produce thoroughly can help reduce the pesticide residue, I would still recommend choosing organic, especially for top 10 to 20 fruits and vegetables on the list.

A Clean Fifteen™ list was also released. This list, which includes sweet potatoes, avocados and kiwis, contains produce that has the least amount of pesticide residue. So if you can not afford organic, consider eating the foods on the clean list more often.

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 2013™ , 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!

 

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