Are you wondering if there is a simple way to begin your journey to health? I do know it can be overwhelming to delve in to all the information out there, but hey that is why you subscribe to this blog so I can do some of that “delving” for you!!
A great first step to health is to check out a couple of annual lists: Dirty 12 and Clean 15 which are shared by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). The EWG ranks pesticide contamination on 46 popular fruits and vegetables each spring. The top 12 have been called the Dirty 12 and the bottom 15 are the Clean 15.
Here are the 2021 lists.
Dirty 12
- Strawberries
- Spinach
- Kale, Collard, & Mustard Greens
- Nectarines
- Apples
- Grapes
- Cherries
- Peaches
- Pears
- Bell & Hot Peppers
- Celery
- Tomatoes
Clean 15
- Avocado
- Sweet Corn
- Pineapple
- Onion
- Papaya
- Frozen Sweet Peas
- Eggplant
- Asparagus
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Kiwi
- Cauliflower
- Mushroom
- Honeydew
- Cantaloupe
What can we do with these lists to invest in our health? A great first step is to purchase organic versions of the Dirty 12. I know, organic is so expensive! Yes, it may be more expensive but so can sickness and disease. If you eat a lot of spinach, maybe start with purchasing organic for this item. I personally didn’t start out purchasing everything organic, and I still don’t! I started out with the things that I eat a lot of first. At the same time, I would purchase conventionally raised for the items on the Clean 15. The cool thing is that my grocery budget hasn’t changed much in the past 10 years even though I purchase more things organic now. If you would like a downloadable version of these lists, check it out here. Keep the list with you so when you are shopping you can refer back to it. Baby steps in the right direction will get you where you want to be. Don’t we all want to feel healthy and strong?
No matter where you are in your health journey, you are worth the investment. I challenge you to begin investing in you through good nutrition for yourself and your loved ones. What item on the Dirty 12 do you eat a lot of? Would you be willing to purchase organic for that one item? Let me know which one it is in the comments below.
Be blessed and be a blessing,
Heather
The first wealth is health.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Spinach. We eat a lot of spinach, but every time I buy organic, it goes bad faster than we use it up. The conventional spinach lasts longer.
Nancy, I totally get that! What do you use your spinach for? Is it for smoothies? If so, I will freeze it and then pull out what I use to put in the smoothie. Thank you for commenting too. I hope all is well with you.