Green Steps | 2011 EWG Dirty Dozen & Clean 15

I'm kind of a list girl, so I have been using EWG's Dirty Dozen list for a while now to keep me on track in reducing pesticide exposure for my family.  EWG just released an updated 2011 shopper's guide and there are a few things to note:

- apples have now moved to the top of the dirty dozen
- cherries are no longer on the list (yay, organic cherries were not easy to find)
- cilantro for the first time made an appearance on dirty dozen - good thing I'm growing my own cilantro this year
- sweet potatoes are on the clean 15
- mushrooms are on the clean 15 for the first time

The Dirty Dozen list is made up of produce that has the largest concentrated amounts of pesticides and the Clean 15 are the ones with the least.  So when I shop, I use these as guides to help me choose which fruits and veggies I definitely buy organic and which ones I can buy conventional without feeling guilty.

Green Steps | Avoiding the "Dirty Dozen" & Making Healthier Choices

Statistics show that 45% of American adults make resolutions each year and of those only 64% keep their resolutions after one month and 46% after 6 months.  As we come to the month benchmark, I thought I’d share a great downloadable tool from the folks over at Environmental Working Group that will help those of us who made the resolve to eat healthier stay on track --  a wallet-sized guide listing the 12 fruits and vegetables that carry the highest levels of pesticides and conversely the ones with the least amount.  The wallet guide is quite handy but now they even have an iPhone app that will most definitely help me make smarter choices when buying produce. 

This list has been updated and of note potatoes, spinach, and raspberries have fallen off the list and replaced by kale, lettuce, and carrots!!