Fruits and vegetables can be contaminated in a variety of ways before they reach us. Today, we bring you 3 ways to clean fruits and vegetables to prevent exposure to harmful chemicals and foodborne illness. Read on to learn more.
Fruit and Vegetable Contamination
Pesticides, which are potentially toxic to humans, as well as fertilizers and other chemicals, help control pests, weeds, and diseases, but they also pose a serious threat to our health. The type of contamination of fruits and vegetables depends on the type of produce, how it was grown, how it was transported, and how it was stored and handled. Today, we bring you 3 ways to clean fruits and vegetables to prevent exposure to harmful chemicals and foodborne illness.
3 Ways to successfully remove pesticides from fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are pleasant and nutritious and are ideal food for our families. To make sure they are truly valuable to our health, it is important to wash off as much pesticide residue, dirt, and bacteria as possible.
Washing fruits and vegetables under running water for 20 seconds removes some bacteria and some of the pesticides and dirt. To have cleaner and healthier products, it is necessary to invest more effort and immerse them for 20 minutes in a solution of salt, vinegar, or bicarb soda. Here is how we can do it:
- Soak in salt water using Himalayan salt or sea salt for 20 minutes. Scientists have found that a 10% salt water solution is effective for eliminating common pesticide residues, including DDT. Rinse thoroughly with running water afterward.
- Use a solution of bicarbonate soda (also known as bicarb and baking soda) to soak fruits and vegetables. Add 1 teaspoon of bicarb soda to 1 litre of water and soak for 15 minutes. Then rinse with running water.
- Soak in vinegar (you can use apple cider vinegar, vine vinegar or white vinegar) and water for 20 minutes. You need to use 1-part vinegar to 5-parts water, so 100 ml of vinegar would need to be mixed with 500 ml of water. This way of washing fruits and vegetables is more suitable for vegetables and large fruits because soft fruits such as berries can get soggy when soaked for too long.
Other ways to remove dirt and pesticides include peeling the skin after washing it under running water. Research reveals that store-bought vegetable and fruit cleansers are no more useful than soaking in tap water.
Fruits and vegetables are the basis of a healthy organism. By removing as much pesticide residue as possible, we ensure that our consumption of fresh products provides all the necessary health benefits.
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➥ DISCLAIMER: This post is not intended to replace medical treatment. The information provided is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.