The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has recently updated their “dirty dozen” and “clean 15” lists. These lists report which fruits and vegetables are best to buy organic – and which ones you can save your money on.

It still remains an overwhelming challenge for Americans to be able find adequate quality food. We all know we should eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, but many of them are contaminated with pesticides, fungicides, insecticides that remain even after washing or peeling food. The Environmental Worker’s Group (EWG) analysis of tests by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that nearly 70 percent of samples of conventionally grown produce were contaminated with pesticide residues.

These chemicals work by poisoning the nervous system of a pest, which means that they are able to cross the blood-brain barrier and directly poison the brain. Cancer, metabolic disruption, thyroid suppression, depression, Alzheimer’s, autism and more are among the threats humans face with exposure to these chemicals. It’s not yet fully clear how far reaching the health concerns of pesticide exposure are, but there are already many trends and connections being made.

Researchers are bringing to light how chronic low level exposure to pesticides is downright toxic in humans. They found that toxicity occurred with levels of 0.1 parts per billion. Yes, you read that correctly. A tiny fraction of exposure to pesticides, like the commonly used Roundup glyphosphate, created long-term cellular toxicity in humans. This is well below common daily environmental exposure.

In order to protect your family it is absolutely essential to buy organic. The EWG recently released their 2018 list of the most pesticide contaminated fruits and vegetables called “the dirty dozen” with strawberries and spinach topping the list for the third year in a row. Be sure to buy these foods organic:

1. Strawberries
2. Spinach
3. Nectarines
4. Apples
5. Grapes
6. Peaches
7. Cherries
8. Pears
9. Tomatoes
10. Celery
11. Potatoes
12. Sweet bell peppers
13. Hot peppers

The good news is that the EWG also releases a list of fruits and vegetables with the lowest pesticide residues. It might be worth saving your money on these particular fruits and vegetables. This is the new 2018 “clean 15” list:

1. Avocados
2. Sweet corn (always look for non-GMO)
3. Pineapple
4. Cabbage
5. Onions
6. Frozen sweet peas
7. Papaya
8. Asparagus
9. Mango
10. Eggplant
11. Honeydew melon
12. Kiwi
13. Cantaloupe
14. Cauliflower
15. Broccoli

Other contaminated foods include meat, dairy and eggs. It is absolutely worth spending the extra money to buy these organic, free-range and antibiotic- and nitrate-free. Organic certification is best, free range is next best. Animals that are fed a grain diet are likely eating pesticide-contaminated and genetically modified grains, so always check labels.