2018's Clean Fifteen

Yesterday the environmental work group once again published their 'clean fifteen' and 'dirty dozen' lists. For those who don't know, this is a list of which conventionally grown produce contained the least or the most pesticide residue when it reached the supermarket shelves.

Why should you care?

Well, honestly, my ideal would be that you ate all organic (ideally growing your own), all the time. Dr John Bergman says that 'if you can't afford to eat organic, you can't afford to eat' and recommends that most people eat a lot less, to suit their budgets and reduce obesity!

The reality though, is that many of my clients just will not comply with that, and if you are eating out, it's hard to do so. These lists are a great compromise. If you have to eat non-organic, try to choose foods from the 'clean fifteen' group. If you really can't resist something on the 'dirty dozen' list, invest in buying the organic version. Your body will thank you.

Does it really make a difference? Well, to give you an example, 70% of strawberries tested were contaminated with over 20 different pesticide residues, whilst less than 1% of avocados showed any detectable pesticides have been used. If your budget dictates making a choice, I'd recommend saving it for the organic strawberries and eat the conventional avocado.

You can read the full report here, but without further ado, here's the lists:

Dirty Dozen

1. Strawberries

2. Spinach

3. Nectarines

4. Apples

5. Grapes

6. Peaches

7. Cherries

8. Pears

9. Tomatoes

10. Celery

11. Potatoes

12. Peppers

Clean Fifteen

1. Avocados

2. Sweetcorn

3. Pineapples

4. Cabbage

5. Onions

6. Frozen peas

7. Papaya

8. Asparagus

9. Mango

10. Eggplant

11. Honeydew Melon

12. Kiwi

13. Canteloupe

14. Cauliflower

15. Broccoli