Not All Produce is Created Equal

By Barb Minemier, Your Healthy Truth
​If you’ve been following along with my inflammation series (and I know many of you have—thank you!), then you already know how much the foods we eat can impact how we feel. So here’s something super practical that I love sharing with clients: the Clean Fifteen and Dirty Dozen lists from the Environmental Working Group (EWG.org). These lists are updated every year to help us understand which fruits and veggies carry the heaviest pesticide loads—and which ones are much safer to eat conventionally grown. Why does this matter?

Because pesticides are inflammatory. They can disrupt our hormones, burden the liver, mess with gut health, and yep—you guessed it—contribute to the kind of low-grade inflammation we’re trying to reduce.

The 2025 Dirty Dozen: Foods You’ll Definitely Want to Buy Organic

New year, new rankings—and this year, spinach takes the top spot!  These are the fruits and veggies that tested highest for pesticide residues, even after washing and peeling in some cases: 

1. Spinach
2. Strawberries
3. Kale, collard & mustard greens
4. Grapes
5. Peaches
6. Cherries
7. Nectarines
8. Pears
9. Apples
10. Blackberries (new to the list!)
11. Blueberries
12. Potatoes (also new!)

Tip: If it’s on this list and you're eating it regularly, try to go organic when you can. Especially those soft-skinned or leafy items—they soak up pesticides like a sponge
 
The 2025 Clean Fifteen: Save Your Money, These Are Safe!
 
These foods showed little to no pesticide residues—even when conventionally grown. Many had zero detectable pesticides at all.

1. Pineapple
2. Sweet corn (fresh & frozen)
3. Avocados
4. Papaya
5. Onions
6. Sweet peas (frozen)
7. Asparagus
8. Cabbage
9. Watermelon
10. Cauliflower
11. Bananas (new this year!)
12. Mangoes
13. Carrots
14. Mushrooms
15. Kiwi
    

Tip: You don’t need to buy these organic unless you really want to. Great for stretching your grocery dollars without compromising health.
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The Bottom Line?
We don’t need to stress over making everything organic. These updated lists help us focus where it really counts—so we can protect our health and reduce inflammation without overspending.

I encourage you to screenshot or print the lists, stick them on your fridge, and refer to them when you shop. Want to dig deeper or see the full report? Check it out at EWG.org.
Let me know—do you already use these lists, or is this your first time hearing about them? Hit reply and tell me what surprised you the most!

Did You Know?
Last year green beans made the Dirty Dozen list and this year they are off. Here's why....

Green Beans didn’t make the official Dirty Dozen this year—but they’re still worth watching. In recent years, they’ve tested positive for acephate, a pesticide banned in the U.S. for use on green beans, yet still occasionally found in samples. While their overall ranking dropped in 2025 due to updated scoring methods, they remain a smart choice to buy organic if you eat them often—especially for kiddos.