The Dirty Dozen & the Clean Fifteen

The “Dirty Dozen” & The “Clean Fifteen.” What Does This Mean?

We’ll explain!  The “Dirty Dozen” refers to the chemical pesticides used in today’s food, in particular, produce.  As most of us know, today’s food is FILLED with pest control sprays and chemicals that are literally killing people.  That said, here are the foods known to be the worst victims of chemical spraying. Always do your best to buy organic, non-GMO whenever possible.

Here are the “Dirty Dozen” most heavily nailed with toxic chemicals and pesticides:

Kale/collard greens
Apples
Grapes
Celery
Peaches
Sweet bell peppers / Hot peppers
Nectarines (imported)
Cucumbers
Cherry tomatoes
Snap peas (imported)
Potatoes
Strawberries

The cleanest foods, known as “The Clean Fifteen” are the foods to be less affected by chemical spraying. That list is comprised of the following:

Avocados
Sweet corn
Pineapples
Cabbage
Sweet peas
Onions
Asparagus
Mangos
Papayas
Kiwi
Eggplant
Grapefruit
Cantaloupe
Cauliflower
Sweet potatoes

Where You Buy Your Food Matters!

The health benefits of any of the food you buy and consume completely depends on the sources you buy them from. Whenever you shop.  You may not be aware, recent evaluations and studies show raw foods selected and tested from numerous stores and outlets have turned out to be literally poisoned with pesticides. In particular, non-organic kale ranks among the world’s most heavily polluted crops.  So, the bottom line is always try to buy from a good source. Also make sure to wash your produce thoroughly before eating it. If in doubt, cook it, as pesticides are greatly reduced when cooking.

If you are unsure what or where to buy, ask your local grocer for assistance. Most are happy to help.