Mama (and the US government) always said to eat your fruits and veggies, but nowhere in that conventional wisdom was there anything about getting your daily allotment of pesticides. Yet, as CNN reports, that's exactly what some of us are inadvertently doing. The nonprofit Environmental Working Group rounds up a list of the "Dirty Dozen" most contaminated nonorganic fruits and veggies, according to the group's testing after washing the produce in a way normal Americans might. And sorry, blueberry lovers: Your blue gold has found its way onto the 2023 list. In order of most to least contaminated:
- Strawberries
- Spinach
- Kale, collard greens, mustard greens
- Peaches
- Pears
- Nectarines
- Apples
- Grapes
- Bell and hot peppers
- Cherries
- Blueberries
- Green beans
And, as a bit of a palate-cleanser, the group lists its "Clean 15" fruits and vegetables. In order of least to most contaminated:
- Avocados
- Sweet corn
- Pineapple
- Onions
- Papaya
- Frozen sweet peas
- Asparagus
- Honeydew melon
- Kiwi
- Cabbage
- Mushrooms
- Mangoes
- Sweet potatoes
- Watermelon
- Carrots
(Just one in 10 Americans are
eating their veggies.)