Strawberries are at the top of the list when it comes to pesticides in produce.

Each year, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) compiles the Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen  lists to help you choose wisely when buying fruits and veggies. The Clean 15 have the least pesticides and Dirty Dozen have the most pesticides. I definitely buy organic when buying anything on the Dirty list.

One problem with pesticides is that they contain hormone-disrupting chemicals. In fact, one study showed that women with the highest pesticide intake had a 26% lower chance of having a live birth.

Here are the EWG 2021 lists.

Dirty Dozen

  1. Strawberries
  2. Spinach
  3. Kale, collards, mustard greens
  4. Nectarines
  5. Apples
  6. Grapes
  7. Cherries
  8. Peaches
  9. Pears
  10. Bell peppers, hot peppers
  11. Celery
  12. Tomatoes

Clean Fifteen

  1. Avocado
  2. Sweet corn*
  3. Pineapple
  4. Onion
  5. Papaya*
  6. Sweet peas (frozen)
  7. Eggplant
  8. Asparagus
  9. Broccoli
  10. Cabbage
  11. Kiwi
  12. Cauliflower
  13. Mushrooms
  14. Honeydew melon
  15. Cantaloupe

*A small amount of sweet corn, papaya and summer squash sold in the US is produced from genetically modified seeds. Buy organic if you want to avoid genetically modified produce.

xo,
Jennifer

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