The Enironmental Working Group (EWG) recently released its 2010 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides. (Note: This guide is NOT for shoppers who want to BUY pesticides, but rather for those who want to AVOID them in their food.)
The guide is divided into two groups: The Dirty Dozen and The Clean Fifteen. The Dirty Dozen are the fruits and vegetables with the highest concentration of pesticide residue (unless they're organic); and The Clean Fifteen are those with the lowest.
EWG is partnering with the venerable Dr. Andrew Weil to educate the public about these lists. In the above video, he emphatically states that unless he can get organic versions of the Dirty Dozen, he avoids them altogether. "Pesticides are toxins," Weil explains. "A lot of these chemicals are toxic to the nervous system; others may disrupt endochrine funciton of the body; they may increase risks of cancer and other chronic diseases." He also says if budget limitations prevent some shoppers from buying organic food, they then should only buy the fruits and vegetables among the Clean Fifteen. He adds, "We should all be trying to take action to minimize our exposure to pesticides."
Do you think you know which group your favorite fruits and vegetables are in? Compare The Dirty Dozen and The Clean Fifteen against your shopping list; you may be in for a surprise or two.
The Dirty Dozen
Peaches: #2 on The Dirty DozenCelery- Peaches
- Strawberries
- Apples
- Blueberries
- Nectarines
- Bell Peppers
- Spinach
- Kale
- Cherries
- Potatoes
- Grapes (imported)
And here's The Clean Fifteen:
Avocado: #2 on The Clean FifteenOnions- Avocado
- Sweet Corn
- Pineapple
- Mango
- Sweet Peas
- Asparagus
- Kiwi
- Cabbage
- Eggplant
- Cantaloupe
- Watermelon
- Grapefruit
- Sweet Potato
- Honeydew Melon
For more information, visit EWG's Food News web site, where you can download a printable Shopper's Guide of your own.
Shari Manolas Danielson is editorial director at Simple, Good and Tasty.
You can write to her at shari@simplegoodandtasty.com.
Comments
Where would tomatoes fall? Nearer the dirty or the clean side?
Shari.... posted at 3:14 am?? Do you ever sleep?? :-) I've been a looooooong time fan of Dr. Weil. Highly recommend his books, especially "8 Weeks to Optimum Health."
Susan: Tomatoes are #21 on the EWG's list of 49 fruits and vegetables, ranked from #1 onions to #49 celery.
Debbie: Don't worry about me. I was in bed by 11:30 last night. I don't know why the time on the post is 3:14 a.m. -- perhaps it was set to Azores time. I also think Andrew Weil is great: a Harvard-educated M.D. who now practices integrative medicine, which emphasizes nutrition, exercise, and stress reduction to maintain the body's natural healing systems. His "8 Weeks" was the first book about nutrition I ever read.
A sad addendum to this post is today's MSNBC story:
"Exposure to pesticides used on common kid-friendly food — including frozen blueberries, fresh strawberries and celery — appears to boost the chances that children will be diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, new research shows"
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