One of the most common ways for people to develop health problems is our exposure to toxins in our food.  

While God has given us specialized organs in our body to help eliminate toxins, the extremely high amount of exposure for the average person can often overwhelm our natural ability to detoxify ourselves.  

Knowing the safest foods to eat is essential.  Choosing to exclusively eat all organic is a difficult, and sometimes expensive solution to the toxic exposure problem.  

While we always would recommend an all organic diet, there are fortunately some alternatives that can help you and your family eat healthy, clean foods.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to protecting human health and the environment. 

They research what’s in our tap water, the safety of our cosmetics, genetically modified organisms (GMO / GE), and the amounts of pesticides in and on our food, among other things.

The EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™ (aka Dirty Dozen and Clean 15) is updated each year and ranks pesticide contamination on 47 popular fruits and vegetables. 

The guide is based on results of more than 35,200 samples tested by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration.

The top 15 foods with the least pesticides are called the Clean 15, while the 12 foods with the most pesticides are called the Dirty Dozen. 

These lists are fantastic to take with you on your shopping trips to know when to buy organic and when it’s ok to buy conventional.

Here are the most up-to-date Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 lists:

The Dirty Dozen (2022): These must be purchased organic, there is no other option due to the contamination they contain.  DO NOT BUY THESE CONVENTIONAL
Strawberries
Spinach
Kale, Collard & Mustard Greens
Nectarines
Apples
Grapes
Bell & Hot Peppers
Cherries
Peaches
Pears
Celery
Tomatoes
The Clean 15 (2022): These are ok to buy conventional, ie Non-Organic, as they are lowest or not contaminated due to their growing/harvesting methods.
Avocados
Sweet Corn**
Pineapple
Onions
Papaya**
Sweet Peas (Frozen)
Asparagus
Honeydew Melon
Kiwi
Cabbage
 Mushrooms
Cantaloupe
Mangoes
Watermelon
Sweet Potatoes 
 

• Due to the heavy GMO of both corn and papaya we do not recommend purchasing these in the non-organic form despite them being on the “Clean 15” list.  Note: Corn is a grain and we do not recommend grains due to lectin content. 

2022 Dirty Dozen Key Findings Summary
More than 90 percent of samples of strawberries, apples, cherries, spinach, nectarines and grapes tested positive for residues of two or more pesticides.
Kale, collard and mustard greens, as well as hot peppers and bell peppers, had the most pesticides detected, 103 and 101 pesticides in total, respectively.
A single sample of kale, collard and mustard greens had up to 21 different pesticides.
On average, spinach samples had 1.8 times as much pesticide residue by weight as any other crop tested.
The pesticide most frequently detected on collards, mustard greens and kale is DCPA – sold under the brand name Dacthal – which is classified by the EPA as a possible human carcinogen and which was banned by the EU in 2009.
Other problematic pesticides on greens include potentially neurotoxic neonicotinoids and pyrethroids.
Clean 15 Key Findings Summary

Almost 70 percent of Clean Fifteen fruit and vegetable samples had no detectable pesticide residues
Avocados and sweet corn were the cleanest produce – less than 2 percent of samples showed any detectable pesticides.
Just under 5 percent of Clean Fifteen fruit and vegetable samples had residues of two or more pesticides.
The first six Clean Fifteen items tested positive for just three or fewer pesticides per sample.

If you read the full EWG report of all the foods you’ll notice that a few common foods like bananas and carrots fall somewhere in the middle.

Keep in mind, washing produce doesn’t necessarily get rid of all pesticides and chemicals as it grows into the entire plant, but it can reduce your risk and exposure so be sure to always wash everything thoroughly.

Keep a copy of this list handy so you can refer to it at the grocery store or farmer’s markets that you use regularly so you’ll always be able to make the best choices for you and your Family!