ExamineHealth

 

You've seen them in the stores, the veggie washes that are available in your grocery store, there are several different kinds.  Most popular are probably the FIT and the Veggie Wash.  The primary difference between the two is that Veggie Wash is made from all natural citrus ingredients, while FIT is based on those, have some additional chemicals added.  The question is, do they help you get your fruits and vegetables cleaner.  And do you need your fruits and vegetables to be cleaner?

A 2006 study sponsored by the FDA analyzed 5,512 produce samples from 85 different countries.  They failed to find any pesticide residues on 70% of the domestic and imported produce.  Only 1.6% of domestic and 5.1% of imported produce were in violation of any kind of guidelines that govern how much residue is too much.  This is for conventionally grown produce, but some suggest that buying organic doesn't completely avoid the issue.  Organic farmers use other natural pesticides such as cow manure and other things that can harbor bacteria, which is potentially more harmful than pesticide residue anyway.

At the same time, about 5,000 deaths are caused by food-borne-related illnesses in the United States each year, as estimated by the Centers for Disease Control, and some 325,000 get sick enough to require a hospital visit.  There are salmonella outbreaks that occur in both conventional and organic food industries, some cause fatalities.  So you never know when you're going to cross that small percentage of produce that absolutely needs to be washed.  Clearly it's healthy to err on the side of cleanliness.

The FDA recommends washing with running water, which causes a more abrasive effect than with soaking.  Scrubbing with a scrub brush is also a good idea, especially for getting into the nooks and crannies of some produce.  Even produce with thick rinds that will be peeled off should be washed, the bacteria can spread around the workspace and from slice to slice, especially when sitting on a tray in the sun.  Distilled water is the preferred medium when washing with water, simply because it's been decontaminated already of anything that might be in the water.  But who wants to keep a bunch of gallons of distilled water around for washing veggies?

An equally effective technique would be to use the commercially available veggie washes.  Both FIT and Veggie Wash were determined to be equally effective or slightly better than water in removing microbes and pesticide residue according to Colorado State University dietitians.  Toxicologist Robert Krieger at the University of California Riverside found that said washes were only 6% more effective than simply rinsing with water.  So this starts to come down to simple personal preference.  The products you buy in the store are quick and easy, sit on your counter top and allow you to spray on as you're cleaning.  It comes down to ease of use.

But what if you could get the same ease of use, but without shelling out the 6 or 7 bucks for each spray bottle? 

White vinegar is often referred to as the universal cleaner, as it cleans well, just about anything.  Floors and veggies equally, and it's harmless to your body, your pipes and the planet.  The biggest problem with using straight vinegar is that it will leave an aftertaste on your produce.  However, it doesn't need to be at full strength to be effective.  Try this recipe for a cheap and effective wash solution that you can make at home and put in a spray bottle for easy use. 

Mix a tablespoon of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of baking soda with 2 cups of filtered water and one cup of white vinegar.  You can add 10-20 drops of grapefruit seed extract if you'd like, although its not necessary.  Make sure you shake the contents before using and use via any spray bottle that you have lying around.  Truth be told, the most effective ingredients in this mix are the water and the vinegar, if you only used those two ingredients you'd be doing pretty good.  Either way, make sure you rinse your produce well after spraying, this is going to make sure everything gets removed.

Eat those vegetables!

 

 

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