Can't afford everything organic? It's Ok, read this!

Conventionally Grown Crops = pesticides, insecticides, GMO's, etc ARE all permitted (this is how over 90% of the produce available to you is grown)
Organically Grown Crops = pesticides, insecticides, GMO's , etc are NOT permitted 

The EWG (Environmental Working Group) conducted studies to find out which conventionally grown crops had the most detectable amounts of pesticides.  They came up with

 THE DIRTY DOZEN!  (cue the creepy sound "duh dUH DUH!")

THE DIRTY DOZEN!

Apples

 98% of conventional apples had pesticides

Celery

Celery tested positive for 57 different pesticides and

96% of celery tested positive for pesticides

Bell Peppers

bell peppers tested positive for 15 pesticides on a single sample

Peaches

96% of peach samples tested positive

Strawberries

Nectarines

Grapes

15 pesticides on a single sample of grapes

Spinach

88% of spinach samples tested positive for multiple pesticides

Lettuce

lettuce tested positive for 67 different pesticides

Cucumbers

10 different pesticides on a single sample of cucumber

Blueberries

Potatoes

So lets say buying EVERYTHING organically is just not an option that fits into your budget.  This DIRTY DOZEN list helps you know which produce you should try to ALWAYS buy organically because of the immense amounts of pesticides used to grow them conventionally.  EWG predicts that if you were to buy just these 12 foods organically (and continued buying all your other produce conventionally) you would decrease your insecticide intake by 80%.  Not bad right!?  So in other words, this list is telling you where to splurge and just go for the organic bell pepper rather than the cheaper, conventionally grown bell pepper.  It will be worth it.

They also came up with the "Clean Fifteen."  These are conventionally grown crops that had little to zero traces of pesticides.  So if you are trying to decide where to cut corners in your food budget, these would be the foods that you could safely opt to buy conventionally grown rather than organic.

CLEAN FIFTEEN

-Onions

-Sweet corn
-Pineapples
-Avocado
-Cabbage
-Sweet peas
-Asparagus
-Mangoes
-Eggplant
-Kiwi
-Cantaloupe (domestic)
-Sweet potatoes
-Grapefruit
-Watermelon
-Mushrooms

ALWAYS CLEAN YOUR PRODUCE!  

You can't get rid of ALL the pesticides and contaminants by washing, but it will definitely help!!

To get your fruits and veggies as clean as possible, use a vegetable brush for sturdier produce.  Also try soaking leafy greens and delicate produce in a bowl of cool water for several minutes, then rinse in a salad spinner or colander.... or if you're ghetto like me, dry them with a kitchen towel.  Adding a capful of vinegar to the water can aid in cleaning your produce.  You can also use vegetable washes or even baking soda (for produce you plan to cook).  

http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/