12 Foods You Should Always Buy Organic

Apples, celery and sweet bell peppers have the most pesticide residues, according to the Environmental Working Group’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides.

Pesticides can be extremely toxic to human health and the environment. Both U.S. and international government agencies have linked pesticides to cancer, nervous system toxicity, hormone system disruption and IQ deficits among children.

You can lower your pesticide intake substantially by avoiding the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the least contaminated produce.

Each year Environmental Working Group analyzes nearly 100,000 produce pesticide reports from the USDA and the FDA to determine what fruits and vegetables contain the highest (the “Dirty Dozen”) and lowest (the “Clean 15″) amounts of chemical residue.

Here is the Dirty Dozen Plus List and the Clean 15 this year:

Download a printable version here.

Here is the Dirty Dozen Plus List and the Clean 15 from the EWG website from 2012:

2011 List of Foods to Buy Organic