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As summer approaches, eating well gets even easier as fresh fruits and vegetables are much more accessible and tasty, too! While ideally you would have access to fresh, organic produce all year-round, it is not always convenient or readily available. The Dirty Dozen, established by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), are the top twelve fruits and vegetables that are at risk for the greatest amount of pesticide and chemical exposure. Keep this list handy when you are at your neighborhood farmers market or grocery store, as they are the ones you should be most concerned with purchasing in organic varieties.

Dirty Dozen (in order of most contaminated):
Peaches
Apples
Bell Peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Pears
Grapes (Imported)
Spinach
Lettuce
Potatoes

In contrast, here is the EWG’s list of the “Clean Fifteen,” or the top fifteen fruits and vegetables that show minimal traces of chemical and pesticide exposure and, thus, are safer to buy from natural or non-organic stocks.

Clean Fifteen (starting with the least contaminated):
Onions
Avocados
Sweet Corn
Pineapples
Mango
Sweet Peas
Asparagus
Kiwi Fruit
Cabbage
Eggplant
Cantaloupe
Watermelon
Grapefruit
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet Onions

Thank you to Tatiana Ridley for sharing her expertise about the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15. To learn more about Tatiana and her health and wellness program, visit her website, http://www.tatianaridley.com/.

SHARED by: The Gymtime Kitchen