Dirty Dozen for Dummies

101 on Glyphosate and Organics

Every week I’ll be sharing my personal stories and my thoughts and recommendations on healthy food, intuition, movement, growth mindset and women, all sprinkled with a touch of spirituality.

I’m writing about some of my life experiences – the good and the bad - with the hope that they resonate with you. Mine is not a linear path but a winding road with twists and turns - a life filled with family, friends, gratitude and love. Where has your path taken you?

Today I am a trained Holistic Health Coach and a major foodie. I love healthy, clean, organic food and to share my passion for wellness with anyone who will listen!

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Let’s Dive In…

What is glyphosate anyways? Does it matter if we buy organic foods or not? Is the Dirty Dozen a real thing? To better understand what is best for our bodies and our overall wellbeing, let’s take a look behind the curtain.

How does glyphosate work?

Basically, glyphosate is a spray that is used on most of the processed foods we eat. Breads, cereals, nuts, fruits, and more.

Glyphosate is absorbed into the plant’s tissues, it doesn’t just sit on the surface. Washing, soaking, or peeling the outer layer of a fruit or vegetable doesn’t remove what’s inside the food. This is different from some pesticides that stay on the surface and can be reduced with washing.

Glyphosate works by preventing an enzyme called EPSP synthase, which is essential for plant growth. This enzyme allows plants to produce amino acids and when glyphosate blocks this pathway, the plant can’t grow and therefore dies. It’s used primarily to control weeds around GMO crops such as soy and corn which are genetically modified to resist the glyphosate so they’re often sprayed heavily. It’s a common ingredient in weed killers. 

Can glyphosate negatively impact our health?

Glyphosate may act like an antibiotic, killing beneficial gut bacteria, which could lead to digestive issues, bloating, or immune system imbalance. Additionally some studies suggest glyphosate may act as an endocrine disruptor, interfering with the body’s hormone system. Could this be why too many young women are dealing with infertility? 

Bottom line, IMO, avoid foods sprayed with (or even near) glyphosate. HOW??

• Choose Certified Organic Foods because these organic standards prohibit the use of glyphosate. If possible, try to buy all organic fruits, vegetable, oats, wheat, corn, dairy, meat, and poultry.

• Avoid Genetically Modified (GMO) Crops including corn, soy, canola, sugar beets, and cottonseed.

• Eat Fewer Processed & Packaged Foods which may contain ingredients derived from glyphosate-sprayed crops (corn syrup, soy lecithin, maltodextrin).

• Support Regenerative & Glyphosate-Free Farming which includes brands such as One Degree Organic Foods, Thrive Market (some products), Oatly (organic version), and some Lovebird cereals. And if you’re a Cheerios lover, I hate to break it to you, but this cereal is known to have glyphosate residue.  

Organic food is easily found these days

• It used to be available only at Whole Foods, but the USDA Organic symbol can now be found on foods at grocery stores across the country from Stop & Shop and Publix to Target and Walmart. 

• It used to be that organic frozen fruits and vegetables were considered lacking nutrients. Today, many studies show that organic frozen fruits and veggies, which are less expensive, contain even greater amounts of nutrients than non-organic. 

• It used to be that some organic items were not affordable, now companies like Thrive Market, a subscription membership site, sell high quality organics direct to your home. 

Do you need to buy everything organic?

Your choice! But there are some products where for me the answer is a definitive yes.  This is where our friend, the Dirty Dozen ™, provides insight. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) produces an updated annual list of produce that have been contaminated with pesticides, based on their analysis. These products are considered the ‘dirty dozen’ because they have the potential to be sprayed by or near glyphosate. Whereas the products listed under the EWG’s Clean Fifteen™ had the lowest amounts of pesticide residues, according to analysis of the most recent USDA data.

DIRTY DOZEN - 2025

Spinach, Strawberries, Kale, collard & mustard Greens, Grapes, Peaches, Cherries, Nectarines, Pears, Apples, Blackberries, Blueberries, Potatoes, +Bell and hot peppers, +Green beans 

CLEAN FIFTEEN - 2025

Pineapple, Sweet Corn, Avocado, Papaya, Onions, Sweet Peas, Asparagus, Cabbage, Watermelon, Cauliflower, Bananas, Mangoes, Carrots, Mushrooms, Kiwi

Beyond the Produce Aisle

After we shop the produce aisles and we’ve bought organic strawberries and conventional avocados, what next? Now you’re standing in front of the meat and poultry cases and then the dairy fridge. What should you buy that is safe for your family? My recommendation: if it is possible, do your best to buy organic, grass-fed, regenerative meat, poultry, and dairy products. WHY? Because, the phrase, “you are what the animal you eat, eats” is true. The diet and lifestyle of the animals you consume affect your own health, because whatever those animals eat ultimately enters your body when you eat them.

Simply put, if an animal eats natural, nutrient-rich foods (like grass, in the case of grass-fed beef), its meat, milk, or eggs tend to be more nutritious, more antioxidant rich, and with fewer toxins. If an animal is fed low-quality feed, GMO corn/soy, or exposed to antibiotics and hormones, those compounds can accumulate in its tissues, and you ingest them too.

A few of the organic brands I choose for my family

• Force of Nature Meats

• Vital Farms Organic Eggs

• Butcher Box

• Primal Pastures

• Maple Hill Dairy

• Edens Beans

• Applegate Organics

I am grateful that I have the opportunity to buy organic foods. It is a privilege, and I am well aware of the increased costs in buying organic foods. It is not right or fair that it’s more expensive to feed your family healthy food that doesn’t contain toxins. As the US faces its worst health crisis in history, with more obese and diabetic people than ever before, perhaps things will change, and we will all have the opportunity to eat clean and healthy foods, 100% of the time. 

Just my opinion

• An apple should cost 25 cents, and a bag of Doritos should be 25 dollars

• Organic meat should cost less than conventional meat

• Genetically modified foods should be banned

• It should be illegal to spray glyphosate on or near crops

• Contact the EWG to express your concerns.

NOTE:  I'm not an expert but I have been researching organics and pesticides for many years and these posts represent my opinion based on that research and reflect how I eat and cook.

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