Effective ways to "eliminate" pesticides in fruits and vegetables
Remember that even if you peel or scrape off the outer layer, the germs, dirt, pesticides… on the surface of fruits and vegetables can still spread to what you end up eating.
According to nutritionist, Dr. Cao Thi Hau, to achieve high productivity or to kill pests, especially for some types of vegetables and fruits that are susceptible to pests, some farmers have used too much chemical fertilizer or sprayed pesticides close to harvest, not complying with the time limit for spraying pesticides before harvest as prescribed. On the other hand, some types of vegetables and fruits grown in polluted soil, watered with fresh manure or dirty wastewater are also a serious threat to consumers' health. Therefore, to reduce the pesticide content in vegetables and fruits, you need to:
1. Soak vegetables in clean water for about 5-10 minutes before washing or use rice water to soak, the purpose is to neutralize the toxicity of pesticides.
2. Use 5% salt water to wash vegetables.
3. Cucumbers, eggplants or other vegetables with high levels of pesticides should be washed and peeled before eating.
4. Heating at high temperatures also causes pesticides to decompose. Some heat-resistant vegetables such as cauliflower, beans, celery, etc., after washing, blanch them in hot water for 2 minutes to reduce the amount of pesticides by 30%. Then cook at high temperatures, which will remove 90% of the pesticides.
5. Sunlight causes the amount of pesticides on vegetables to break down and decompose. Leaving vegetables in the sunlight for 5 minutes reduces the amount of pesticides remaining on vegetables such as organic mercury and organic chlorine by about 60%.
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| Soak vegetables in clean water for about 5-10 minutes before washing or use rice water to soak, the purpose is to neutralize the toxicity of pesticides. Illustration: Internet |
Soak and rinse under running water:
Soak vegetables in clean water for 15-30 minutes, then rinse under running water for at least 30 seconds for each vegetable or fruit stalk.
Tip: In this step, you can use rice water to soak the vegetables to neutralize the harmful chemicals in pesticides. If not, you can use warm water to soak the vegetables, which will help remove most of the toxins from the surface of the vegetables.
Peel:
For fruits and vegetables containing a lot of pesticides such as cucumbers, eggplants, carrots, etc., the best way is to wash and peel them before eating. Washing and peeling helps remove more than 96% of pesticides on the surface of fruits and vegetables.
Soak in baking soda + Rinse:
Baking soda is a great way to clean the surfaces of fruits and vegetables that contain pesticide residue naturally and effectively.
Put 5 large cups of water (about 1.5 liters of water) in a specialized bowl for washing fruits and vegetables, add 4 teaspoons of baking soda and stir the mixture well.
Then, soak the vegetables and fruits in this solution and leave the mixture for 15 minutes. Finally, use a towel to dry the fruit and it can be used. For vegetables, just soak the mixture for 5-7 minutes and then rinse with clean water.
Note: Baking soda only works to remove the surface, then you must rinse under strong running water to remove toxins from pesticides and preservatives.
Temperature + Wash:
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Blanch in warm water:Heating at high temperatures also causes pesticides to decompose. Some heat-resistant vegetables such as cauliflower, beans, celery, etc., after washing, blanch in hot water for 2 minutes to reduce the amount of pesticides by 30%. Then cook at high temperatures, thus eliminating 90% of the pesticides.
In particular, to limit dirty foods, consumers should choose reputable, trustworthy addresses with clear origins.
