Foods You Should Always Buy Organic

Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a nonprofit organization that advocates for policies that protect global and individual health.  They picked "Dirty Dozen Plus" and "Clean Fifteen" to determine which fruits and vegetables have the most pesticide residues and are the most important to buy organic and which fruits and vegetables are generally least contaminated.

Here is a link for an article "5 Reasons Why Pesticides are Bad". 

The following "Dirty Dozen" had the highest pesticide load, making them the most important to buy organic versions - or to grow them organically yourself:

• Apples
• Strawberries
• Grapes
• Celery
• Peaches
• Spinach
• Sweet bell peppers
• Nectarines
• Cucumbers
• Potatoes
• Cherry tomatoes
• Hot peppers

In 2013, EWG expanded the "Dirty Dozen" with a Plus category to highlight two crops – domestically-grown summer squash and leafy greens, specifically kale and collards. These crops did not meet traditional Dirty Dozen™ criteria but were commonly contaminated with pesticides exceptionally toxic to the nervous system.

Also, EWG indicates that genetically modified plants, or GMOs, are not often found in the produce section of grocery stores.  Field corn, nearly all of which is produced with genetically modified seeds, is used to make tortillas, chips, corn syrup, animal feed and biofuels.  Nor is soy, another heavily GMO crop that makes its way into processed food.

The genetically modified crops likely to be found in produce aisles of American supermarkets are zucchini, Hawaiian papaya and some varieties of sweet corn. Most Hawaiian papaya is a GMO. Only a small fraction of zucchini and sweet corn are GMO. Since U.S. law does not require labeling of GMO produce, EWG advises people who want to avoid it to purchase the organically-grown versions of these items.

"Clean Fifteen" are

• Onions
• Avocado
• Sweet Corn
• Pineapples
• Mango
• Asparagus
• Sweet Peas (frozen)
• Eggplant
• Kiwi
• Cabbage
• Papaya
• Cantaloupe 
• Grapefruit
• Mushroom
• Sweet Potatoes