Pesticides In Produce: 2023’s Clean Fifteen And Dirty Dozen

16 Mar Pesticides In Produce: 2023’s Clean Fifteen And Dirty Dozen

Posted at 07:51h in Food, News by

The Environmental Working Group have recently released their 2023 Clean Fifteen and Dirty Dozen. This ‘Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce’ is designed to help you shop smarter and avoid fruits and vegetables most likely to be laden with pesticides.

In 2017, government testing found pesticide residues in 47% of British food, with many of these containing more than one pesticide. Non-organic food production routinely uses pesticides which can pollute the environment and make their way into our food chain.

WHAT ARE THE 2023 CLEAN FIFTEEN AND DIRTY DOZEN?

The EWG’s ‘Clean Fifteen’ and ‘Dirty Dozen’ is a helpful guide that identifies those foods that have the most and least pesticide residues. It can help you identify which fruit and veg you should prioritise organic and those where the conventionally farmed version may not be quite so bad.

Topping the list in 2023 are strawberries (again) which were found to contain the highest levels of pesticide residues. The EWG is an American organisation and so the information gathered relates to American produce, however British farming methods do not differ greatly.

In general, we recommend choosing organic produce wherever possible. However, we do recognise that organic produce is not always readily available and can cost substantially more. So which foods should you prioritise buying organic?

THE 2023 DIRTY DOZEN

Here’s a list of the fruits and vegetables found to be most contaminated with pesticides this year.

  1. Strawberries
  2. Spinach
  3. Kale, collard and mustard greens
  4. Peaches
  5. Pears
  6. Nectarines
  7. Bell and hot peppers
  8. Grapes
  9. Peaches
  10. Cherries
  11. Blueberries
  12. Green beans

You might be thinking ‘can’t I just give them a good wash?’ It is often claimed that using water with vinegar in, or a saltwater solution, can help remove some pesticides but there’s no guarantee that all residues will be removed.

On the upside, here is the 2023 list of produce least covered with pesticide residues:

THE 2023 CLEAN FIFTEEN

  1. Avocados
  2. Sweet corn
  3. Pineapple
  4. Onions
  5. Papaya
  6. Sweet Peas (Frozen)
  7. Asparagus
  8. Honeydew melon
  9. Kiwi
  10. Cabbage
  11. Mushrooms
  12. Mangoes
  13. Sweet potatoes
  14. Watermelon
  15. Carrots

This guide just focusses on fruit and vegetables and it doesn’t cover animal produce like eggs and meat, which we would always advise buying organic, or at least free range and traditionally reared. Buying organic is a choice you make not only for your health, but also for the welfare of animals and the future of the environment.

To find out more about the benefits of switching to organic, read our post on 5 Reasons To Eat Organic.

GET WEEKLY HEALTH, WELLNESS AND WEIGHT LOSS UPDATES

Keep up to date with the latest happenings in the world of health and wellness. Subscribe to Kim’s newsletter and get weekly news, tips and advice direct to your inbox.

Print page
0 Likes


SARAH LAW

Sarah has worked with hundreds of clients over the past decade to help them live in a healthy body that they feel confident in.


Sarah spent a large part of her teens and 20’s as a professional dancer battling with orthorexia and an unhealthy relationship with food and her body. This created a desire to understand the human body more so she could finally cut through the confusion and end the cycle of yoyo dieting. This fuelled her passion to help other women do the same.

 

Sarah specialises in supporting women who are struggling to lose weight due to underlying health issues. She’s helped many women manage their weight during and after the menopause, as well as clients with thyroid disease and immune system dysfunction. Sarah loves food and sharing healthy recipes with her clients. Her aim is to ensure that clients don’t feel deprived and instead, achieve their weight loss and health goals in a positive and sustainable way.

 

To enquire about working with Sarah, please contact us.

AILSA HICHENS

 

Ailsa is one of our most experienced practitioners. She specialises in helping clients to lose weight, develop a healthy relationship with food and finally feel comfortable in their skin. Ailsa’s mission is for everyone she works with to enjoy the journey and that working with a nutritionist should not be a punishment, but your access to a new possibility.

 

Ailsa is not only an experienced weight loss nutritionist, she is also a skilled coach. She helps our clients overcome emotional eating, destructive habits and self-sabotaging behaviours that have prevented successful weight loss in the past. Ailsa has spent years in clinic working with clients who have experienced yo-yo dieting and have discovered that long term weight loss is not just about eating less until you can stand it no longer.

 

Working with Ailsa you will be comprehensively supported, not only in improving your nutrition and lifestyle, but also your eating habits and your relationship with food. When you work on all these elements together, the results can be truly astonishing.

 

To enquire about working with Ailsa, please contact us.

Test Nikki is our Practice Manager, managing our team of practitioners and heading up the day-to-day running of the business. Nikki is involved in the strategic development of our practice, coming from a strong business background in town planning. A Florida girl, Nikki relocated to the UK in 2014 with her husband and two children.

NIKKI ANDRIANI

 

Nikki is our Practice Manager, managing our team of practitioners and heading up the day-to-day running of th clinic.

 

Nikki is involved in the strategic development of our practice, coming from a strong business background in town planning.

 

A Florida girl, Nikki relocated to the UK in 2014 with her husband and two children.

STÉPHANIE ACHAR

Stéphanie is a skilled nutritional therapist and functional medicine practitioner with additional training in eating disorders, disordered eating and obesity. She believes that working towards both physiological and mental health is key in achieving optimum wellbeing.

 

Stéphanie’s personal experience of emotional eating and the ongoing struggle to find the right support led her to combine the science of nutrition with behavioural coaching to motivate and empower her clients. She specialises in helping people who struggle with their weight and their relationship with food. She helps them develop a healthier and more peaceful relationship with food and their bodies.

 

To enquire about working with Stéphanie, please contact us.

INNA WEARN

Inna is passionate about supporting women on their journey to improved health and wellbeing. She believes that the solution to effective weight loss does not lie in ever more restrictive diets, but a more sophisticated approach that optimises health and vitality, as well as promoting effective weight loss.

 

Working with Inna you will benefit from her in-depth knowledge of female health and hormones. She will support you in developing a healthy diet, lifestyle and mindset that ensures you reach your ideal weight and maintain it in the years to come.

 

Inna is passionate about food with a wide repertoire of delicious healthy recipes and meal ideas to ensure your weight loss journey is as enjoyable as possible!

 

To enquire about working with Inna, please contact us.

ANIA MASON

 

Ania is a firm believer that improving your health and losing weight should be a positive, empowering journey, not one centred around deprivation.

 

After being diagnosed with two autoimmune conditions in her twenties, Ania spent several years educating herself on the power of food and nutrition. She put it all into practise and changed her diet and lifestyle, reversing her endometriosis and thyroid disease. After experiencing such a significant improvement in her health, Ania had a big desire to help others. She embarked on a four year journey to study nutrition, graduating from the Institute for Optimum Nutrition with distinction.

 

Ania specialises in autoimmunity and works with clients who have underlying health issues preventing successful weight loss. Her expertise enables her to successfully support our clients with conditions such as hypothyroidsm (underactive thyroid), PCOS and diabetes. 

 

To enquire about working with Ania, please contact us.

Get weekly weight loss & wellness updates.

Subscribe and receive your free download:

 

7 STEPS TO INTELLIGENT WEIGHT LOSS