During your cancer journey well-meaning loved ones (or even your medical professional) may have advised sourcing organic produce as much as possible. You may even have heard of the ‘dirty dozen’ and clean fifteen before – and it can be overwhelming to remember and identify which fruit and veg to eat more of and which ones are best avoided unless you can afford to buy them organically. In this guide I share a brief introduction covering what the Dirty Dozen and Clean15 are, and explain why consuming organic produce is an important and impactful way to reduce toxin consumption which could be contributing to or exacerbating dis-ease.
What is the dirty dozen and clean15?
Sadly the world we live in today and high consumer demand means that most of the fresh fruit and vegetables we buy on supermarket shelves have been grown and/or treated with chemical substances commonly known as pesticides. Pesticides are poisons and have been shown in multiple studies to be harmful to health and the environment (more on this below), and they are still widely used by farmers in order to protect crops and increase yield. Dodging pesticides can be challenging, as even produce at local fruit and vegetable merchants is often from big commercial farms which employ non-biological techniques to grow and ripen their stock. Certifiably organic fruits and veg are more difficult to produce at scale without these chemicals, so they come with a much heftier price tag and simply aren’t accessible for everyone, especially with food prices rising week on week.
These two lists of produce were originally compiled by an American organisation called EWG, which engages in extensive scientific studies and the testing of fresh food products to determine the level and impact of pesticides present. They were designed to help de-mystify and simplify shopping in a healthier way, by focusing on two smaller groups enabling you to know where you can get away with buying non-organic, and where it’s worth spending a bit more to avoid pesticides. The lists are compiled based on how the produce is grown and also how many pesticides are present in each type of fruit or vegetable. Some are more susceptible to absorbing greater levels of harmful/toxic chemicals because of their soft skins or flesh, or due to the way they grow.
Each year EWG (and Pesticide Action Network UK) publishes their Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce, which highlights the results of extensive research carried out on produce throughout the year. This year is their tenth anniversary, and 2024’s list revealed these insights:
*This year’s Dirty Dozen features high levels of fungicides which have been shown to disrupt our endocrine function (hormone system)
*75% of non-organic produce and 95% of the products identified on the Dirty Dozen list were actually coated with pesticides
There was also some very good news – of the Clean Fifteen list, almost 65% were found to have no detectable pesticide residue at all. You can read full information on the EWG’s findings this year here. (https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.php)
According to the EWG and PAN UK’s most up to date list, the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen for this year are:
The Dirty Dozen:
Strawberries
Spinach
Kale, collard and mustard greens
Grapes
Peaches
Nectarines
Apples
Bell and hot peppers
Cherries
Blueberries
Green Beans
The Clean Fifteen:
Avocados
Sweetcorn
Pineapple
Onions
Papaya
Sweet peas
Asparagus
Honeydew melon
Kiwi
Cabbage
Watermelon
Mushrooms
Mangoes
Sweet potatoes
Carrots
Thorough testing is carried out continuously, and although these lists are reviewed each year they tend to stay largely the same. It’s important to mention that the EWG is an American organisation and that different, stricter rules apply here, and their insights still extend to the UK and the EU where toxic pesticides are widely used. With this in mind, PAN UK’s list focuses on produce which is subject to the ‘cocktail effect’, where multiple types of pesticides are used resulting in higher levels of toxicity.
Benefits of eating organic
Most food production systems in Europe rely on chemical pesticides in order to maintain high crop yields and meet increasing demand. And these pesticides have been linked for years to allergic sensitisation, respiratory tract issues, reduced fertility and even the development of conditions such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and asthma, with studies proving time and again that they are harmful to human health and the environment. As well as impacting pollinators and causing loss of biodiversity, pesticide-laden produce has been found to disrupt ecosystems, killing non-target insects, animals and birds.
It's shocking to learn that these incredibly harmful substances can be found in large quantities on our food, so it’s understandable to question how and why it is allowed to happen. The UK government does monitor residue levels on food consumed here, but they do not check the impact of multiple pesticide residues or ‘pesticide cocktails’, where a combination of pesticides are found together and become more toxic as a result.
Why is organic produce important during the cancer journey and beyond?
Toxic burden is very often considered in an integrative approach to cancer care. The lymphatic system is the system in our body responsible for processing and eliminating toxins from our body. The lymphatic system is also part of the immune system. If the lymphatic system is overwhelmed with processing environmental toxins, which includes toxins we eat, as well as treatment toxicities such as chemotherapy, then the immune system will not be functioning at its optimum level. This means that it’s important for anyone on their cancer journey to actively consider toxic burden, avoid the dirty dozen or at least purchase those items organic to help support recovery and reduce toxic burden at a time when it is so important.
More tips and advice on eating organic on a budget
Money worries can be a real concern when you are living alongside cancer – and organic fruits and veggies are often pricey, sometimes making them too expensive to purchase on a regular basis for many. Even when you’re keeping the clean fifteen and dirty dozen in mind, with food costs rising the money you spend just on fresh produce can soon mount up. I recommend avoiding the dirty dozen as much as possible and choosing a few ‘can’t live without’ items to purchase organic. You can also use washing methods and filtered water to physically remove pesticide residues from fruit and veg. None of these are 100% effective, and they can certainly reduce your exposure and lower toxin consumption.
For more health, wellbeing and lifestyle advice to help you on your cancer journey, read more related articles here or get in touch with me for tailored support. More resources about pesticides and health can be found at PAN UK: www.pan-uk.org
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