Remove Pesticides from Vegetables and Fruits

​Growers use pesticides on fruits and vegetables to help prevent the crops from being ravished by disease, insects, and bacteria.  Certain crops are more susceptible than others.  Fruits and vegetables with firmer skins, like pumpkin, need fewer pesticides than soft fruits and vegetables, like strawberries and spinach.  
It is important to know that pesticide residue seeps into the crops and remains on the skin.  Unless you remove the skin (which is not recommended as it is rich in nutrients), you must thoroughly wash your fruits and vegetables before eating.

Remove Pesticides from Vegetables and Fruits
By Pierre Mouchette | Bits-n-Pieces

Frequently Used Pesticides On Fruits And Vegetables
The most commonly used pesticides used on fruits and vegetables are herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, and bactericides.  These pesticides destroy pests such as fungi, weeds, insects, and microorganisms.  Pesticides are either biodegradable, which means that they can be broken down by microbes into harmless compounds, or persistent, meaning they can take months or years to break down.

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are pesticides resistant against degradation, so that they will remain in the environment for lengthy periods.  POPs are incredibly harmful and linked to cancer, diabetes, hormone disruption, and neurological disease.  They are now banned in many countries.  However, prolonged use over the years means they stay in the environment.

Some substances found in pesticides include:

• Atrazine is an endocrine disruptor known to cause severe health conditions, especially in the womb, which leads to low fetal weight, limb defects, and heart and urinary complications.
• Chlorpyrifos is linked to neurological effects and developmental disorders in children, autoimmune diseases, and respiratory issues in adults.
• Glyphosate, otherwise known as the Roundup, is an endocrine disruptor.  It is linked to cancer, liver disease, reproductive issues, congenital disabilities, placental issues, and embryo DNA damage.
• Heptachlor is a carcinogen associated with liver tumors, gastrointestinal disorders, and nervous system symptoms like irritability and dizziness.

Clean Vegetables And Fruits Naturally
Always wash fruits and vegetables, even if they are organic.  The number of people that eat fruits and vegetables directly from a packet without running them under the faucet first is shocking.  Washing bagged salads is highly recommended, despite the package stating it is pre-washed.  Bagged salads are a breeding ground for E. coli and other bacteria, so it must be rewashed before eating.
Before being packaged, manufacturers wash the salad with various toxic chemicals, including chlorine and bleach.  Washing off this chemical residue is essential.

​The following are three ways to remove pesticides from fruits and vegetables effectively:

1. Soak in saltwater using sea salt for 20 minutes.  Researchers discovered that a 10% saltwater solution effectively removes common pesticide residues, including DDT.  Rinse with water afterward.
2. Use bicarbonate of soda to clean your fruits and vegetables.  Add one teaspoon of bicarb to 2 cups of water and soak for 15 minutes.  Rise with water afterward.
3. Soak in vinegar (any type) and water for 20 minutes.  You need to use 1-part vinegar to 4-part water, so 10 ml of vinegar must be mixed with 40 ml of water.  Porous fruits such as berries may become soggy when soaked for too long.

If strapped for time and cannot soak your produce, it is recommend washing your fruits and vegetables under the tap for twenty seconds.  It will help remove some pesticide residues and clear away bacteria and dirt (especially the dirty fingers it has been in contact with).
 
Always Wash Fruits And Vegetables
Washing fruits and vegetables before eating is essential, even if only under the tap for a few seconds.  Toxic chemicals are sprayed on crops, and these pesticides' residue remains on the fruits and vegetables unless they are washed off using an appropriate method.  Use salt, bicarb, or vinegar to soak your vegetables for around 20 minutes to remove pesticides and bacteria.  Avoid eating fruits and vegetables straight from the packet, even if they are organic.