Mistakes when washing raw vegetables that many people make

Raw vegetables are vegetables that can be eaten directly, without being processed. Vegetables that are often eaten raw include fish mint, Vietnamese balm, Vietnamese coriander, perilla, basil, lettuce, coriander, water mimosa, water coconut...

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Duy Thinh - Institute of Food Technology, Hanoi University of Science and Technology said that raw vegetables have a high risk of containing parasites because they are often watered with dirty water and fertilized with fresh manure. This is the seed that causes parasites to multiply and spread such as worms, roundworms, liver flukes, etc. When the larvae enter the body, they develop into worms. Eating raw vegetables also has the risk of other digestive diseases such as diarrhea, worm infection or dysentery.

According to experts, soaking vegetables in diluted salt water does not kill worms as many people think, the amount of chemicals on vegetables does not reduce significantly, the taste can be changed. On the contrary, soaking raw vegetables for too long (over 10 minutes) can cause loss of nutrients. You need to pick them clean and wash them many times with clean water, wash each leaf directly under running water to remove worm eggs, disease-causing bacteria and pesticide residues on vegetable leaves.

You should wash each leaf directly under running water instead of soaking everything in a basin.

If it is a large leafy vegetable like lettuce, break it into branches and leaves, turn both sides to wash, then put it in a basin and wash it normally once or twice. Some vegetables should be blanched in boiling water, at high temperature, bacteria will die and will not harm the body.

After washing, raw vegetables need to be drained. Many people often shake them off after washing and then eat them right away, which can easily cause stomachaches for children or people with weak digestive systems.

Many people wash vegetables by soaking them in vinegar. Many studies show that vinegar helps kill bacteria, viruses, and breaks down pollen and hairs on the outside. A 10% vinegar mixture will reduce bacteria by up to 90%, but there is no research showing that vinegar completely removes pesticides. If you wash vegetables with vinegar, you should rinse them again with clean water.

Other vegetables such as kale, celery, and branched vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, etc. should be washed before cutting to ensure that the nutrients are not lost. If you wash them after cutting, you will accidentally lose the necessary amount of vitamins.

Root vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, radishes... when peeled or scraped off the outer layer, germs, dirt, pesticides on the surface can still penetrate deep. To clean, rinse thoroughly with cold water, avoid rubbing hard so that the vegetables do not get crushed.