Are you wondering how you can afford to purchase 100% organic groceries?
The USDA defines “organic” as any food cultivated in soil free of any additives within the last three years.
Some organic food is also grown under sustainable conditions.
In general, consuming organic ingredients means consuming toxic-free food. But what if you don’t want to pay big bucks for an organic grocery list?
Luckily, there are many non-organic foods you can safely consume. Only a few should be on your watch list.
In this post, we discuss the dirty dozen foods you should buy organic for healthy eating. Read on for insight!
What Does Organic Mean?
It’s common to see the word “organic” on many food labels these days. But what does it actually mean?
This term is used for food labeling means. It refers to any ingredients that have been cultivated under USDA approved methods. More specifically, food ingredients with a “Certified USDA organic” label have been grown under very special conditions.
Namely, these foods are produced using only approved substances. Non-approved substances include chemicals, toxic soil additives, certain fertilizers, and pesticides.
Organic crops are grown in pesticide -and additive- free soil. Organic operations also typically protect natural resources and biodiversity in some way.
The word “organic” doesn’t just apply to fruits and vegetables. Livestock such as cattle or sheep can also be raised in “organic” ways. The same goes for poultry.
Keep in mind that something is certified organic if it has the USDA-specific label. Just because a package uses the word “organic” doesn’t mean that it actually meets USDA standards.
It’s also possible to find foods that have only partial organic ingredients.
If you’re shopping for organic groceries, prioritize the ones with the USDA label. Also look for “100% organic” on the label.
What Are Dirty Dozen Foods?
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is an American non-profit organization. It works hard to research safe and sustainable agricultural practices.
The EWG advocates for every American citizen’s rights to clean and non-toxic food and water.
Every year, the EWG releases a list of foods that are the “cleanest” or the “dirtiest” for consumers to eat.
“Clean” foods refer to any ingredients that have little to no toxicity or exposure to chemicals. These are often organic food items or those produced under sustainable, safe conditions.
“Dirty” foods are those that can pose hazards to human health. This is generally because they often have traces of pesticides or other additives on them.
Dirty dozen foods are the top “dirtiest” foods available to U.S. consumers.
It’s important to be familiar with this list. We strongly recommend buying ingredients on this list that are 100% organic to minimize toxicity!
Keep in mind also that this list changes every year based on EWG research. You can learn more about EWG and its work here.
The Dirty Dozen Foods
Now that we’ve discussed the difference between “clean” and “dirty” foods, let’s take a look at this list of dirty dozen foods. These foods were ranked based off of positive testing for pesticide residue and breakdown products.
Some of the foods on this list are annual contenders. This means that they have appeared on past lists, and are likely to surface in future ones.
Be sure to purchase all of these dirty dozen foods in organic form the next time you take a trip to your local grocery store. Better yet, purchase these from local, organic farmers or your health food store.
Even when you buy organic produce, be sure to clean all fruits and vegetables thoroughly before consuming.
1. Nectarines
Nectarines are always delicious, especially during those hot summer months. But be sure to buy the organic version of these tasty fruits.
More than 100% of nectarine samples tested contained at least one pesticide. Yikes!
2. Spinach
Spinach is one of the most worrisome vegetables on the dirty dozen foods list. This is because samples contained twice as much pesticide residue as all others.
Recently, EWR released an article discussing the discovery of an EU-banned pesticide on spinach.
Nearly three-quarters of these samples had permethrin, a neurotoxic insecticide. Exposure to permethrin has been linked to tremors, seizures, and the development of ADHD in children.
3. Strawberries
Strawberries are often at the top of the dirty dozen foods list. Over 1/3 of strawberry samples analyzed in 2016 for this list had had at least ten pesticide residues!
98% of tested strawberry samples had at least one pesticide residue.
4. Tomatoes
Who doesn’t love a crisp tomato at all times of the year? It may be tempting to stock up on non-organic beefeaters but you should change that habit now.
Tomatoes aren’t ranked as highly as other foods on this list, but most samples tested positive for at least one pesticide residue.
5. Celery
In the past, celery has been ranked #1 for pesticide-laden produce grown by conventional means.
It still makes it to EWR’s dirty dozen foods list, even if residues have become more minimal.
6. Potatoes
At least 35 different pesticides have been discovered on standard-grown potatoes.
Understandably so–potatoes are grown underground, deeply embedded in soil often exposed to harsh fertilizers and insecticides.
Nearly 100% of potato samples tested by the EWG tested pesticide-positive.
7. Sweet Bell Peppers
One sample of sweet bell peppers in the EWG study contained 15 pesticides!
This is an improvement from past years. In 2012, sweet bell peppers were found to contain 88 pesticides. Still, it’s on the dirty dozen foods list for a reason.
8. Grapes
Conventionally grown grapes are susceptible to a whole host of pesticides, including carbaryl, permethrin, and pyrethrin. All of these have been linked to human health issues.
Unfortunately, grapes haven’t made much progress in this respect. They still top the dirty dozen foods list, as they have done for years.
9. Apples
Make sure that if you take your kids apple picking that you only do so at an organic farm.
Almost every apple sample tested by EWG contained a minimum of one pesticide.
10. Peaches
62 pesticide residues have been found on peaches in the past. In 2019, this number hasn’t changed much.
Nearly half of all peaches tested contained Fludioxonil, which can have toxic effects on mitochondrial membranes.
11. Pears
The use of pesticides on traditionally grown pears has exploded in recent years.
Pears have thus risen to the top of the dirty dozen foods list, rather than soaring to the bottom.
A whopping 49 pesticides were found on samples.
12. Cherries
Cherries are consistently susceptible to pesticide residue. 98% of cherry samples contained one or more pesticides.
Shopping Organic
It can be tough to stock your grocery cart with entirely organic produce. However, you don’t have to buy everything organic!
At the very least, avoid purchasing non-organic forms of the produce on the Dirty Dozen Foods list. These fruits and veggies have high pesticide residue and can be hazardous to human health.
Curious about the proven benefits of eating organic food? Check them out here.