When to buy organic?
In most cases it makes sense to buy organic foods. Unfortunately these foods are more expensive, not always available and can spoil more quickly. There are some simple rules to help stretch your dollar and to minimize the impact to your wallet and your health.
Buy organic meat and poultry, animal products can store toxins in their fat and tissues in high concentrations. Look for and purchase free range organic meats and poultry.
For fruits and vegetables there are foods that have a high pesticide residue. There are others that have a consistently low level of pesticide residue.
The high pesticide residue fruits and vegetables are known commonly as:
The Dirty Dozen
| Peaches | Apples |
| Sweet bell peppers | Celery |
Nectarines |
Strawberries |
| Cherries | Pears |
| Grapes (imported) | Spinach |
| Lettuce | Potatoes |
Then there are:
The Cleanest Dozen
| Onions | Avocado |
| Sweet corn | Pineapples |
| Mango | Asparagus |
| Sweet peas | Kiwi |
| Bananas | Cabbage |
| Broccoli | Papaya |
Ranking Highest Pesticide Residue 1= worst
| Rank | Produce |
| 1 | Peaches |
| 2 | Apples |
| 3 | Bell Peppers |
| 4 | Celery |
| 5 | Nectarines |
| 6 | Strawberries |
| 7 | Cherries |
| 8 | Pears |
| 9 | Grapes |
| 10 | Spinach |
| 11 | Lettuce |
| 12 | Potatoes |
| 13 | Carrots |
| 14 | Green beans |
| 15 | Hot peppers |
| 16 | Cucumbers |
| 17 | Raspberries |
| 18 | Plums |
| 19 | Grapes domestic |
| 20 | Oranges |
| 21 | Grapefruit |
| 22 | Tangerine |
| 23 | Mushrooms |
| 24 | Cantaloupe |
| 25 | Honeydew melon |
| 26 | Tomatoes |
| 27 | Sweet potatoes |
| 28 | Watermelon |
| 29 | Winter squash |
| 30 | Cauliflower |
| 31 | Blueberries |
| 32 | Papaya |
| 33 | Broccoli |
| 34 | Cabbage |
| 35 | Banana |
| 36 | Kiwi |
| 37 | Sweet pea |
| 38 | Asparagus |
| 39 | Mango |
| 40 | Pineapples |
| 41 | Sweet corn |
| 42 | Avocado |
| 43 | Onion |
