The Dirty Dozen Foods to Avoid

In keeping with Earth Day April and sustainability, I am presenting the "Dirty Dozen Foods" to avoid when traveling and can't find organic foods. We don't want to encourage eating local and organic foods just for your own health but also for the health of the planet. Omnivite Nutrition Inc supported "Earth Hour" in turning out all lights. Thank you to all those who participated. It is estimated that such a very small contribution resulted in saving thousands of dollars in electricity just for turning off lights for one hour. What is more is the symbolic nature and gesture where people are coming together as a planet to acknowledge that we must all participate in saving our species. Here is the text message that Omnivite Nutrition sent out to encourage people all over the world to participate in this healing gesture.

"Omnivite Nutrition Inc urges all people and businesses to participate in "Earth Hour" turning off all lights from between 8:30pm and 9:30pm Saturday night in support of saving our species."

“The dirty dozen foods”: what foods should be avoided unless grown organically. The following foods are listed in order of toxicity:

1) Peaches	7) cherries
2) Apples	8) Kale
3) Bell Peppers	9) Lettuce
4) Celery	10) grapes (imported)
5) nectarines	11) Carrots
6) strawberries	12) Pears

The Clean 15 produce with the least amount of pesticides in case you don’t have a choice but you want to be somewhat clean. These foods have relatively lower levels of herbicides and pesticide residues.

Onion	Asparagus	Papaya
Avocado	Sweet Peas	Watermelon
Sweet Corn	Kiwi	Broccoli
Pineapple	Cabbage	Tomato
Mango	Eggplant	Sweet Potato

Why Should You Care About Pesticides?

The growing consensus among scientists is that small doses of pesticides and other chemicals can cause lasting damage to human health, especially during fetal development and early childhood. Scientists now know enough about the long-term consequences of ingesting these powerful chemicals to advise that we minimize our consumption of pesticides.

What’s the Difference?

EWG research has found that people who eat the 12 most contami­nated fruits and vegetables consume an average of 10 pesticides a day. Those who eat the 15 least contaminated conventionally-grown fruits and vegetables ingest fewer than 2 pesticides daily. The Guide helps consumers make informed choices to lower their dietary pesticide load.

Will Washing and Peeling Help?

Up to 20 different pesticides are used in the traditional production of the Dirty Dozen and contrary to popular belief, simply washing or peeling your fruits and vegetables doesn't guarantee elimination. The pesticides used are often absorbed into the plants, which allows them to bind to the fruits and vegetables, making it impossible to eliminate their presence. Nearly all the studies used to create these lists assume that people rinse or peel fresh produce. Rinsing reduces but does not eliminate pesticides. Peeling helps, but valuable nutrients often go down the drain with the skin. The best approach: eat a varied diet, rinse all produce and buy organic when possible.

How Was This Guide Developed?

EWG analysts have developed the Guide based on data from nearly 87,000 tests for pesticide residues in produce conducted between 2000 and 2007 and collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. You can find a detailed description of the criteria EWG used to develop these rankings and the complete list of fruits and vegetables tested at our dedicated website, www.foodnews.org.