Pesticides are part of how modern agriculture makes it possible to turn out enormous amounts of food and feed millions of people at affordable prices. Pesticides are poisons that kill, repel, and disrupt the breeding cycles of insects that would eat our food before we might get the chance to. By using pesticides, industrial farmers are able to make much more food available to the world.
However, the unfortunate result of this is that much of the food we eat still has pesticides on it when we bring it home from the market. This should not be news to anyone- as it is common practice to wash all of the produce we buy before cooking or eating it.
Unfortunately, it can be very difficult to get all of the pesticides off of your food using only water. The good news is, there really is a way to get all of the insect repelling poison off of your food. Here’s how:
The first and most important step to removing pesticide from your food is to wash it thoroughly with water. Use clean water at a temperature that is as warm as the produce you are washing can stand. This is the standard way of cleaning produce- and it’s a good thing it is- because it removes as much as 80% of residues.
Now, the remaining 20% of chemicals that washing with water does not remove are the most harmful. So it is very important that you do not stop at just running water over your food and rubbing it with your hands. Depending on the type of produce you are handling, washing in boiling water and salt water will remove an additional 10 to 15 percent more insecticide residue.
The second most important step is to remove the peel. The peel protects the fruit or vegetable from the environment very effectively. It also protects the meat of the produce from nearly all of the pesticides used during cultivation. In most cases, it is a myth that the peel contains the majority of the nutrients. The seeds that use the nutrients in fruit to grow into trees and plants do not come from the peel. So you have very little to lose by discarding it. If you know where your food came from, you may keep the peel.
The next step is to use vinegar. Vinegar is a natural and healthy way to kill germs and repel insects. What’s more, should any vinegar remain after washing it is not harmful to humans, and it contains vitamins and nutrients that are very good for us. Create a mixture of one part vinegar and two parts water in a large bowl. Then simply soak your produce in the solution for up to 30 minutes. After that, rinse them with cold water to remove the vinegar and any residue that remains.
Another great way to clean produce is sodium bicarbonate. The Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry reports that sodium bicarbonate is especially effective in removing pesticide residue. Sodium bicarbonate has been shown to remove as much as 96% of pesticide residue in just 15 minutes. It is the high alkalizing ability of sodium bicarbonate that enables it to be so effective. This enables it to break down pesticide residues and making them both inert and easier to wash away.
You can make a baking soda paste to clean large pieces of produce. Mix a teaspoon of baking soda and mix it with an equal amount of water. Then rub your produce with the mixture. You do not need to scrub or apply pressure as the cleaning happens on a chemical level.
For smaller fruits, mix a teaspoon of baking soda in one liter of water and soak your produce for just 15 minutes and then rinse them off.
You can also make a baking soda spray using lemon. Simply mix one table spoon of lemon juice, two table spoons of baking soda, and a cup of water. Mix the components in a bowl, stir and allow the baking soda to dissolve. Then put the liquid into a spray bottle and spray it on your produce. Leave the spray on for five to ten minutes and then wash clean.
Be sure to use purified water as tap water can contain much of what we have worked hard to remove. Enjoy these tips, knowing your produce is clean and healthy for your whole family!
~ Health Scams Exposed
