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Fruits and vegetables are the foundation of any healthy diet. They are rich in the vitamins and minerals that keep people in good repair. However, produce doesn't grow in sterile environments, so it is important to wash microbes, germs, and pesticides off the surface of any fruit or veggie before it is eaten.
Why Washing Protects Your Health
If asked, most people would likely say that animal products such as meat and fish are the primary suspects behind a case of a food borne illness. And while the majority of these types of illness are caused by animal products, a large percentage of them can also be caused by fruits and vegetables. According to ScienceAlert, 46 percent of the cases of food-borne illnesses a year are caused by vegetables and fruit.
The reason for this is that fruits and vegetables are grown in the soil, out in the open, vulnerable to birds, animals, and insects that can carry bacteria, germs, viruses, etc. They are also often sprayed with pesticides to help keep those insects away. In addition, they can pick up all sorts of bacteria and contaminations during the packaging process.
Simplest is Best
You can soak your vegetables in fruit in a solution of a small amount of vinegar and water, or even baking soda and water, but the simplest way is often the best way, according to Health. That’s rinsing fruits and vegetables with cold water.
In fact, a 2006 study in The Journal of Food Protection found that rubbing or brushing fruits and vegetables under a stream of cold water was more effective in terms of removing microbial contamination than a vinegar soak, lemon solution, or even just soaking the items in cold water.
Health suggests that you wash your hands well, and then, using your hands or a clean produce brush, rub the fruit or vegetable under cold running water for a few minutes. Then rinse off the fruit or vegetable, dry, and eat.
Although it is important to wash fruits and vegetables before consuming them, what is actually the most important is to consume them in the first place. The benefits of healthy eating by far outweigh any detrimental effect of pesticides or microbial contamination. Plus, getting produce clean is so easy, there really is no reason not to be eating a diet rich in the delicious bounty the earth has to offer.
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