The Dirty Dozen and Clean 15
The Dirty Dozen
With much of the current focus of a healthy “Green” lifestyle leading consumers to all-natural and organic foods, here are some tips on eating healthy while saving some money.
The dirty dozen is a list of the 12 fruits and vegetables that contain the most pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and are the least sustainable crops.
Try to avoid buying conventional fruits and veggies from the list below.
Here is a list of The Dirty Dozen:
1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Strawberries
4. Peaches
5. Spinach
6. Nectarines (Imported)
7. Grapes (Imported)
8. Bell Peppers
9. Potatoes
10. Blueberries
11. Lettuce
12. Kale / Collard Greens
There is little doubt that organic foods are better for you, but not everyone has an open-ended budget. So, what conventional foods can you buy and still reap the benefits of the nutrients, and save some dough?
When eating a 100% organic diet doesn’t fit into your weekly budget, consider saving a little money on fruits and veggies that conventionally contain small amounts of pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and are more sustainable crops.
To save money try buying conventional fruits and veggies from the list below.
Here is a list of the Clean 15:
1. Onions
2. Corn
3. Pineapple
4. Avocado
5. Asparagus
6. Peas
7. Mango
8. Eggplant
9. Cantaloupe (Domestic)
10. Kiwi
11. Cabbage
12. Watermelon
13. Sweet Potato
14. Grapefruit
15. Mushroom
Eating organic and saving money can be possible. I shop for food at 4 different stores, 3 on a weekly basis, in order to save money and eat healthy.
I have found Trader Joes to have the lowest prices on organic items like apples, oranges, onions, green peppers, broccoli, lettuce, baby carrots, mushrooms, spinach, chicken sausage (natural), eggs, dairy, dried fruit and nuts, pasta, and rice, and meats (when buying meat from a local natural butcher is not an option).
Hannaford tends to have the lowest price on organic foods like bananas, chicken (natural) keifer (natural), coffee, juice, salsa, frozen vegetables, popcorn.
Your local health food store prices might surprise you. I buy most of my bulk items like spices (granulated garlic, salt, pepper, fresh cayenne pepper, Italian herbs, rosemary, etc…), exotic dried fruit and nuts, Japanese sweet potatoes, local summer vegetables, bulk cheeses, bulk coffee, oils, wild caught canned tuna, and honey at my local health food store. The prices of items at local health food stores are often controlled by the season. You can get great deals from local farms during the summer on fruits and vegetables.
Happy Shopping!