Fruits and vegetables; aren’t they simply the most adorable food families out there! They’re healthy, easy to whip up, and certainly save time when one’s in a rush and needs to have a quick lunch.
However, as much as fruits and vegetables are lifesavers, there’s that proverbial issue of contamination. Most specifically, from the pesticides that were used during the growing and cultivation process. For years, people have rinsed their fruits and vegetables with water. In fact, this practice has become so popular today that literally, every person does it on autopilot. However, is this the most suitable way to clean vegetables?
The Specifics
There is a growing concern among people today that they might be consuming residual pesticides in the food they ingest. A concern that is completely reasonable. It’s essential that people become more aware of the ‘hidden poisons’ that they might be consuming unknowingly. Lighthousenewsdaily.com provides such essential info.
One has to remember that pesticides are chemicals. So whether they are synthetically manufactured or extracted from natural sources, they are still harmful. If they could kill fungi, plants, and other pests, what makes humans so different?
Therefore, pesticides ingested in large quantities are definitely a no-no. In fact, according to numerous studies carried out by various watchdog groups, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, infants, and young children have the highest susceptibility to experience the detrimental effects of synthetic pesticide residuals. Especially during the critical stages of child development. You should always wash your fruit and veg because it may have been sprayed with pesticide from a termite control los angeles service accidentally, even if it is organic!
The Research
In 2000, a research study was conducted by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. The study was done to compare three methods normally used to remove nine types of pesticide residues from 196 samples of tomatoes, strawberries, and lettuce. During the experiment, seven treatments were done to each of the samples. One of them being rinsing with tap water for one minute, and another using vegetable wash.
Results
It was observed that rinsing the fruit samples with tap water worked just as well as vegetable washes. Both washes caused a significant reduction in the residues that were being studied.
However, it wasn’t because the pesticides were dissolving in water, as most people would imagine. Instead, the biggest contributor to residue depletion was the mechanical action of rubbing the fruit as the water rinsed away the residues!
Conclusion
So here’s the lowdown. Rinsing does reduce pesticides that are present on the surface of the vegetables and fruits. However, it does nothing to remove the pesticides that were absorbed by roots during the development stage, which later made their way into the tissues of the plant.
The Organic option
Which then begs the question; should one go the organic route and say bye-bye to conventional produce? Yes, of course! In fact, studies carried out show that people who only indulge in organic produce have insanely low levels of pesticide metabolites as compared to their peers who consume conventional produce.
Case closed. Organic foods are much healthier. That being said, here is a list of fruits and vegetables that have the highest pesticide levels.
- Spinach
- Apples
- Strawberries
- Cucumbers
- Snap peas
- Potatoes
Hence, it would be essential for one to consider the organic option for the aforementioned fruits and vegetables next time groceries are on the shopping list!
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