3. Avoid the Dirty Dozen. The Dirty Dozen is a list that contains the top 12 most pesticide contaminated fruits and vegetables based on analysis completed by the USDA and the Food and Drug Administration. Pesticides are designed to kill living organisms such as insects, plants, and fungi that are considered to be pests.
They are toxic by design and pose severe health risks to people, however, the doses are often declared safe by industry and government. Avoid the most contaminated fruits and vegetables by purchasing organic versions. The Dirty Dozen includes peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, kale, lettuce, imported grapes, carrots and pears.
More: Your Guide to Buying Organic
4. Eat Less Beef and Dairy Products. This may be the single most effective way for individuals to lower their food-climate impact. Researchers estimate that shifting to a one day per week or less meat based meals will reduce greenhouse emissions by 51 percent. Buy organic, local, and grass-fed meat and dairy products since they are produced without synthetic pesticides and herbicides, and they use less fossil fuel.
5. Choose Wild Alaskan Salmon. Not only is salmon popular, it is good for brain and heart health and is known to reduce inflammation. Choose wild Alaskan salmon when available as it has the least amount of PCP contamination, or choose organic farmed salmon.
Farmed salmon from Washington State and Chile have the lowest contaminant levels of PCP in the farmed category. Canned salmon, which usually contains wild Alaskan salmon, is also a good choice.
Buying fish that has been caught through sustainable methods will help ensure their availability in the future. The best choices for fish are the ones that are the most abundant, well managed, and caught or farmed in environmentally safe ways.