Natural Ways to Remove Pesticides From Fruits and Vegetables

Natural Ways to Remove Pesticides From Fruits and Vegetables

30 Jan 2020 | 3 min Read

sush

Author | 45 Articles

Surfing the internet for hacks on removing pesticides from fruits and vegetables naturally? Well, you are in the right place. It may be hard to believe, but pesticides are present in foods grown from the ground we eat. They are fundamentally used during the cultivation of harvests and at times may stay behind as residues. Recently, a random study on fruits and vegetables proved the presence of high amounts of pesticide in them. As indicated by the Center for Science and Environment (CSE), “significant levels of pesticide can be sufficiently lethal to cause long-term cancer, harm to the nervous system, birth defects, and serious effect on the immune system.”

Government has taken necessary measures to provoke the farmers to  minimize the use of pesticides and spreading awareness about the adverse effects of pesticides. Organic food is the best alternative suggested by experts. Here are a few DIY tricks to remove chemicals from fruits and pesticides naturally:

1. Wash your food and wash it right: According to CSE, washing fruits and vegetables with 2% saltwater removes all the pesticides present on their surfaces. Coldwater removes 70-80% of pesticide residues. Fruits like grapes, apples, guava, plums, mangoes, peaches, pears and vegetables like tomatoes, brinjal, okra might carry more residue in their crevices.

2. Prepare a solution with 10% white vinegar and 90% water and soak your veggies and fruits in them. Stir them around and wash completely. Be cautious while washing organic products like berries and those with a thin peel as the DIY solution would harm their permeable external skin.

3. Treat your vegetables to warm water for a brief timeframe and this will remove any remaining residue. Peeling is another effective method to remove pesticides and is highly recommended for fruits with crevices. Likewise, when cooking with chicken or meat, remove the excess fat and skin  as there are chances of pesticide residue on them.

Smooth skinned organic fruits, for example, apples, pears, and cherries can be soaked and washed in a baking soda bath similarly as veggies.

Berries can be washed under cold water in a mesh strainer, and then cleaned with a kitchen towel or paper towels just before you ingest them.

You may be considering washing the berries when you bring them home, doing so actually builds moisture and mould. That’s why you should wash them only before you eat them.

4. If you don’t have enough time to soak your veggies, make a DIY fruit spray! All you need is 1 tbsp of lemon juice, 2 tbsp of white vinegar and pour it in a spraying bottle. Shake it well before spraying it on the fruits and vegetables. Rub them for about 30 seconds and rinse thoroughly under running water.

What’s the takeaway?

Choose organic food over “dirty dozen” and practice good food hygiene. Simply allowing your veggies to soak in the baking soda solution or salt solution will help the food you serve and eat be safe. Adding a lot of fruits and veggies in your diet is surely good for your health but do make sure you clean them first by doing something good for yourself and your health.

#babycare #familyhealth #hygiene

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