The Dirty and The Clean

If I were a millionaire, we'd only be eating organic foods.  I'm not... so we don't.  Every trip to the grocery store is an inner battle.  Do I buy regular GMO (genetically-modified organisms)  and pesticide laden foods or go for the expensive organics?

A few months ago, I was introduced to the concept of the Dirty Dozen.  This list has helped me out greatly in the produce department.  No questions asked, if they are on the list, organics are bought.

So here is the list:

Fruits

Apples

Cherries

Grapes

Nectarines

Peaches

Pears

Raspberries

Strawberries

Veggies

Bell Peppers

Celery

Potatoes

Spinach

Did you know there is an opposite of the Dirty Dozen?  It's commonly referred to as the Clean 15!  You can skip the organic varieties of these.

I'll be sweet and list them for you:

Fruits

Banana

Blueberries

Kiwi

Mango

Papaya

Pineapple

Watermelon

Veggies

Asparagus

Avocado (is this a fruit or veg?)

Broccoli

Cabbage

Garlic

Onion

Shelling Peas

Sweet Corn

These two lists have helped me a ton during my grocery shopping outings.  If I could memorize them, it would be super awesome! 

If you'd like to watch a really awesome movie about Pesticides and GMOs, I highly recommend watching The Future of Food.  I believe you can watch it for free via Hulu.com.  It's some scary stuff.