The Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen

The dirty dozen are foods that have the highest amounts of pesticides and the clean 15 are the foods that contain the lowest levels of pesticides. Here is the list of the clean 15 and the dirty dozen foods: 

Dirty dozen:

• Strawberries

• Spinach

• Collard greens, kale, and mustard greens

• Grapes

• Peaches

• Pears

• Nectarines

• Apples

• Bell peppers and hot peppers

• Cherries

• Blueberries

• Green beans

Clean 15:

• Avocados

• Sweet corn

• Pineapple

• Onions

• Papaya

• Frozen sweet peas

• Asparagus

• Honeydew melon

• Kiwi

• Cabbage

• Watermelon

• Mushrooms

• Mangoes

• Sweet potatoes

• Carrots
  
  

To keep things easier, I generally go by the rule that if the fruit or veg has skin that you don’t eat (eg. avocado) then you don’t need to buy the organic version.

Buying organic fruit & veg can add up fast! To reduce costs, try to buy frozen organic fruit & veg from the dirty dozen list. Another tip that I go by is to visit farmers markets where local farmers sell ‘spray free’ fruits & veg — it isn’t quite organic, but it’s close and you’re also helping to support local farmers! I also recommend gardening if you have the space, spinach, beans & kale are really easy to grow and gardening also can help support your mental health (win-win)!

Remember to wash your fresh produce in either a fruit & veg wash - my favs are either from Koala Eco, Abode and EnviroClean OR just simply use baking soda!

This post isn’t meant to put fear into you about eating the dirty dozen, you shouldn’t avoid any foods — just try to purchase organic or spray-free where you can.

*The statistics about which fruit & veg have the most and least pesticides is based on the US. In Australia we have similar farming practices so we can still use this as a guide if you want to reduce your pesticide consumption.