The clean 15 and the dirty dozen

Here at TIEX we want to try to make healthy eating easier for you by giving you up to date nutrition advice. Eating a wide range of fruits and vegetables is at the core of any healthy eating program. But do you stop to consider the benefits of organic produce? Unfortunately many of the pesticides sprayed onto food stay there – even after being washed.   Buying organic produce is a fantastic way to cut down the toxic load for your liver. Yes, organic can be a little more expensive, but it’s worth it!  Don’t worry if your budget doesn’t stretch to allow you to buy all organic produce either. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) have released a 2012 update of their guide the ’Dirty Dozen’ which list of produce with the highest amount of pesticides. This is where it’s worth spending most form your organic dollars budget.

always go organic when buying apples and spinach

The Dirty Dozen – buy organic

1. Apples

2. Celery

3. Sweet Bell Peppers

4. Peaches

5. Strawberries

6. Nectarines – Imported

7. Grapes

8. Spinach

9. Lettuce

10. Cucumbers

11. Blueberries

12. Potatoes

In conjunction with the “Dirty Dozen” the EWG also release a ”Clean 15″ list showing those fruit and vegetables that contain the lowest amount of  pesticides – good to know if you cannot afford to buy all organic produce.

pineapple - a taste of Brazil and less effected by pesticides due to the thick skin

The Clean 15:

1. Onions

2. Sweet corn

3. Pineapples

4. Avocado

5. Cabbage

6. Sweet Peas

7. Asparagus

8. Mangoes

9. Eggplant

10. Kiwi

11. Domestic Cantaloupe

12. Sweet Potatoes

13. Grapefruit

14. Watermelon

15. Mushrooms