Tuesday, June 1, 2010

dirty dozen and clean 15

(pic - my daughter and I made a happy plate for lunch today!)

I was chatting with a friend just the other day about their switch to organic/natural foods.  I sent her a link with a list of certain fruits/veggies that they should make a priority to purchase only organic, and others where they could save their money and just buy conventionally.  I realized I did not have that list posted on my blog and so I sat down to do so.  Ironically, this morning I looked at a few blogs, and Lorrie at Natural on a budget had posted about this same subject. 

 She wrote exactly what I wanted to, and probably better.  So..
Here is a link to her post.

And because it should be on this site, here are the...

Dirty dozen= produce to buy organic because it is more likely to be contaminated.
1. Celery

2. Peaches

3. Strawberries

4. Apples

5. Blueberries

6. Nectarines

7. Bell Peppers

8. Spinach

9. Kale

10. Cherries

11. Potatoes

12. Grapes (Imported)

Clean 15 = items less likely contaminated and ok to buy conventionally grown.
 
1. Onions

2. Avocados

3. Sweet Corn

4. Pineapples

5. Mangoes

6. Sweet Peas

7. Asparagus

8. Kiwis

9. Cabbage

10. Eggplant

11. Cantaloupe

12. Watermelon

13. Grapefruit

14. Sweet Potato

15. Honeydew Melon

here is the complete list listed by EWG

and another great article (not sure their list is in order) from CNN.

6 comments:

  1. cute face and great list, I heard that if it has an outer surface that you take off it is usually okay to go conventially grown. like a banana, orange etc.

    ReplyDelete
  2. mom vs. the boys - I was going on the same basic premise, but kiwi throws that out the window. And even though bananas (I buy those conventionally) have a thick skin, they are not far after 12 on the complete list.... I'll have to go back and add a link to the complete list.

    I need to type up/print out and keep this in my purse or coupon book!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for linking to my post. I am happy to see that you found it helpful.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great info! While I make my best attempt to buy organic (and never use chemicals in my own garden), it is great to see the produce that can be purchased non-organic...saves money for the expensive stuff--like cherries!! Here in AZ, cherries are considered a delicacy because they are so expensive! (haha)

    Following you off MBC--follow me?
    http://choosegourmetcandles.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. This list really helps me stay within our grocery budget each week!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ladies, I'm very proud of all of you for choosing organic whenever possible. However, please do keep in mind that organic is more than skin-deep. Peeling off layers of conventional fruit and veggies is not all there is to avoiding pesticides.

    Farmers who grow organic understand the importance of taking care of their soil. There are birds and insects on organic farms... not so much on conventional farms. Organic soil is alive. With conventional farming, the soil is so depleted, that farmers have to continuously dump fertilizers, watching most of it run off, because the soil has nothing left in it to even absorb. Where do you think that run off ends up? In our drinking water, no less.

    Organic plants are healthy plants, and they thrive without chemical fertilizers. Healthy plants come from healthy soil, and weak plants from weak soil. That's why conventional plants also need to be sprayed for bugs. And where does all that spray end up, that doesn't end up on the plants? In the air we all breathe.

    Choosing organic doesn't have to be expensive. We live in South Florida, and back in March 2009, we joined an organic consumers buying club (Anniesorganicbuyingclub.com). It's a bunch of regular consumers, like you and me, all pooling our money together, to buy organic produce at wholesale prices. Once a week (or optionally, once every other week) we gather at a volunteer's house, and we each go home with a 30+ pound box of a mix of organic fruits and veggies. It's all amazingly fresh, the selection unbelievable, and our local grocery stores can't even come close to the variety, quality, and price. At $45 a share, that's $1.50 a pound! Check your neighborhood for a local CSA or buying club, and enjoy a wonderful bounty of organic produce :)

    Faye @ GreenOrganicMama.com

    ReplyDelete

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