It’s 12/12 today- the day after the night of the Cold Moon (the last moon of the year and this decade.) It’s a time to let go of whatever doesn’t serve you, what you don’t want to carry with you. A time to set intentions and to get free.
And today I’m quietly urging you to get free from the ‘dirty dozen’, to let go of ingesting extra pesticide-laden produce and to find freedom in the ‘clean fifteen’.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) fights for healthier people and a healthier planet – both of which I can totally get behind! The EWG creates an annual report called the Dirty Dozen which analyzes over 80,000 samples of food and ranks them from most contaminated with pesticides to least contaminated [after washing and skin removed in some cases]. Nearly 70% of produce sold in the U.S. comes with pesticide residues.
Why do we want to avoid pesticides? Simply stated – because of their health implications of being linked to cancer, birth defects, to brain damage in kids and as an endocrine disruptor (think hormones, obesity, ADHD, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and the list goes on!!).
This handy list helps you decide which produce to buy as organic vs conventional. It’s actually pretty simple to find out what’s on the Dirty Dozen list:
- Check the EWG website
- Download the EWG App
Strawberries and apples are always at the top of the list, but I think it’s interesting to see kale climbing the Dirty Dozy … perhaps due to increased popularity and need to keep up with demand? In any case, these are the foods in particular to purchase organic for the least amount of pesticides on and in them. The current full list actually includes 13: strawberries, spinach, kale, nectarines, apples, grapes, peaches, cherries, pears, tomatoes, celery, potatoes and hot peppers.
There is a flip side and that’s the Clean Fifteen. These are the foods you can save a little money on and purchase as conventional. Avocados, pineapple, onions and cauliflower grace this list often. Keep in mind this doesn’t mean NO pesticides were detected on these foods, but rather fewer and lower concentrations of them. The links above will get you to the Clean Fifteen as well. This list currently includes: Avocado, sweet corn, pineapple, sweet peas, onions, papayas, eggplants, asparagus, kiwi, cabbage, cauliflower, cantaloupes, broccoli, mushrooms and honeydew.
If money were no object, certainly go ahead and purchase everything organic. But if you are like me, saving a few dollars here and there is a huge win! As we approach 2020, consider making small intentions around your health; these will eventually add up to noticeable changes!
I’m not an affiliate of EWG and don’t make money promoting this. My goal is to help you find simple tools that can guide you the getting healthier.
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