We wash our hands with soap to get rid of germs. Do you need to wash fruit with soap? Someone will find this question ridiculous, but, nevertheless, the relevance of the question of how to properly wash vegetables and fruits in order to protect yourself from harmful microorganisms is very acute. Infection or poisoning of a person can occur not only from a spoiled fruit, but also from a poorly washed fruit.
When fruits ripen, they are affected by many factors. external environment- sun, rain, as well as dust, gases, chemical substances, insect larvae and a large number of microorganisms.
Do I need to wash fruit with soap?
Washing fruits washes away not only dust and sand from their peel, but also pesticides left over from spraying trees.
Fruits need to be washed a plentiful stream of running water, using special soft brushes. Best when washing fruits to use soda, rubbing the peel with powder, then rinsing with water.
for washing imported fruits bought in markets, you need to use harder brushes, and you need to wash these fruits, first pouring boiling water on a sieve, and then with soda powder and a brush, so as not to treat yourself to wax applied to the peel.
Instead of soda for washing imported fruits, you can also use baby soap without flavorings - it removes the wax film from the peel of the fruit well.
Nutritionists advise imported fruits after washing soak in cold water for one hour- water will take away from the fruit part of the artificially applied to the fruit and harmful substances. The shiny peel of an imported apple is an inanimate wrapper that is not at all necessary to be eaten. The most reasonable thing would be to peel off and discard this peel, especially if the fruit is intended for a child.
Washed fruits and vegetables should not be stored for a long time, they should be eaten immediately.
When cutting and peeling both vegetables and fruits, you need to use special knives made of extra strong plastic, designed specifically for fresh fruits, or stainless steel knives that do not oxidize when exposed to fruit juice- then there will be no loss of vitamins.
Yellow spots under the skin of fruits or vegetables indicate a high content of nitrates in fruits. You should not eat foods with such signs. To reduce the amount of nitrates in vegetables and fruits, you can soak them for a day in cold water, putting the bowl in the refrigerator, but when soaking in water, some of the vitamins also disappear. The most correct thing is to more carefully inspect the fruits when buying.
cabbage washing is not necessary. For cleaning, all the top leaves are removed from the head of cabbage, getting to absolutely clean ones. In cabbage, you need to throw out the stalk and the thickest leaf petioles - they have the most nitrates.
Rhubarb, spinach, greens, green onion must be cleaned of roots, thick stems and yellow leaves. First, the greens need to be soaked in a very roomy bowl, while the salad is disassembled into separate leaves. Rinse the greens like this, changing the water 2-3 times. Can be added to water Apple vinegar or some soda. Then the greens can be rinsed on a sieve under running water. Water for washing greens and salad should be cool. You can dry the greens on a towel, in a closed room, inaccessible to flies and dust.
At leaf celery you need to cut off the rough and darkened parts of the petioles, soak the celery for 2 hours in cold water, then rinse under a plentiful stream of water.
nettle for salad or soup, you must first scald with boiling water, separate all the leaves and rinse them under a plentiful stream of running water.
When washing leek you need to cut the stem lengthwise to wash out the dirt that has got into the upper outlet.
cauliflower and broccoli cleaned of darkened areas and soaked for half an hour in cool salty water (1-2 tablespoons of salt per 1 liter of water). You can add vinegar to the same water, 1 tablespoon per 1 liter of water. Insects caught in the inflorescences will soon float to the surface.
To clean root crops - potatoes, beets, carrots, radishes, horseradish, radishes, daikon, you need to carefully clean them from the ground. Then you need to pour the roots with warm water and let stand. Root crops need to be washed with a brush, rinsing under running water, and only after that they need to be cleaned.
Citrus you need to scald them with boiling water to get rid of the preservatives on the skin, then wash them under running water.
watermelon or melon should be washed with a brush.
A pineapple washed whole, unpeeled, then doused with boiling water over the skin, after which the pineapple can be peeled and cut.
Bananas, pomegranates, apples, pears, plums, persimmons you need to wash with running cool water with baby soap, or by rubbing the fruit with soda powder.
Peaches and apricots you need to wash with running water with soap or soda, and then peel the fruits from the upper peel.
Cranberries, lingonberries, gooseberries, currants, cherries, sweet cherries washed in a sieve, in small portions, under running water.
raspberries laid in a sieve in a thin layer, you need to lower it into a bowl of water for 1 minute, shaking the sieve. So do 2-3 times, changing the water. Then leave the berries in a sieve to glass the water.
strawberries pour into a bowl of cool water and mix gently by hand. Change water 2-3 times.
At strawberries There is no need to cut off the ponytails before washing! It is best to wash strawberries in a colander, in small portions, dipping them in a bowl of water and changing the water. In Spain, strawberries are washed with white wine. We can pour grape or apple cider vinegar into the water for washing strawberries, 1 tablespoon per 1 liter of water - it will keep the berries strong, at the same time cleaning them of microbes.
For grapes you need to make a plentiful shower, if the bunches are too tight - you need to cut the petioles with scissors into several parts. It is not necessary to tear grapes from a bunch before washing.
Dried fruits, especially of a bright, brilliant color, have a film of sulfur on the surface. Dried fruits must first be thoroughly washed with cool running water, and then poured over with boiling water, or better, soaked in boiling water for 10-15 minutes.
Shelled seeds and nuts, as well as seeds, you must first wash with warm water, and then pour over boiling water. After that, nuts and seeds can be dried in the oven.
Do I need to wash fruit with soap? I think we answered this question - yes, it is necessary to protect yourself and your loved ones from poisoning and infectious diseases. When washing fruits and vegetables, you need to use a lot of water. It is unacceptable to wipe fruits with a napkin instead of washing!
Be healthy!
Summer is a generous time for vegetables, fruits, berries and herbs. At this time of the year, we can get macro- and microelements, vitamins, alimentary fiber of all the diversity that grows and ripens on earth.
At the same time, if elementary hygiene standards are not observed, as well as improper washing of berries, vegetables, fruits and herbs, we risk contracting intestinal infections and helminthiases.
You need to thoroughly wash not only purchased vegetables, fruits, berries and herbs, but also what is plucked from the garden at your dacha. Thorough washing of fruits and herbs is a prerequisite for their use and a preventive measure intestinal infections.
One of the main rules is that you should buy vegetables and fruits in places of authorized trade, where the quality and safety of the products sold are monitored.
special attention requires greenery. Green onions, dill, parsley, cilantro, sorrel, salad greens must first be sorted out, the roots, yellowed and damaged leaves removed. Soak the greens in a container with cool water for 15 minutes, periodically changing the water and sorting the greens into separate leaves and twigs, until all the dirt settles to the bottom and the water in the container becomes clean. After that, the greens should be thoroughly rinsed under running water. For better cleansing greens from pathogenic bacteria and microbes, you can hold it for half an hour in a saline-vinegar solution (1 tablespoon of salt and vinegar per 1 liter of water).
Berries of strawberries, cherries, sweet cherries, raspberries, currants, gooseberries, plums and others are best put in a colander in one layer and washed under running water for 5-7 minutes. Then it is recommended to alternately 2-3 times perch 
t colander alternately in a container with very hot and very cold water.
Root crops that can be covered with earth (potatoes, radishes, carrots, beets, turnips, radishes) must first be held in warm water for a while to wash off particles of the earth, and then thoroughly brush under running water and rinse the vegetables themselves well: first with warm, and then cold water.
Tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, squash, zucchini, peppers, pumpkin, beans should be washed from the ground in running water and then washed thoroughly under running water with a brush for 2-3 minutes and rinsed boiled water.
Cabbage must be cleaned before washing. outer sheets, since they and the stalk can accumulate nitrates. Before rinsing with cool water, it is better to divide the cauliflower into inflorescences and be sure to free them from darkened areas.
Apples, pears, peaches, plums, apricots should be thoroughly washed with warm running water using a brush (you can use laundry soap) and scalded with boiling water.
Do not neglect the washing of fruits and fruits that you will then peel - tangerines, lemons, grapefruits, bananas, pomegranates, watermelons and melons should also be washed warm water with a brush (using laundry soap). Grapes should be washed under running water, preferably divided into clusters.
By following these recommendations, you will protect yourself and your family from intestinal infections.
Without the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, today it is almost impossible to get a normal harvest of fruits or vegetables even on our six acres. What can we say about agricultural enterprises. Of course, we all know that chemicals remain in the tissues of plants and fruits, and they are not very useful for humans. But there is no way out: either we grow agricultural products for ourselves, or for rats, mice and insects, or nothing grows at all in our fields.
A Necessary Evil - Chemicals
Fertilizers are used in the cultivation of agricultural products. But if at your dacha you can enrich the soil with compost and manure from the nearest farm, then a lot farms only organic is not enough. They have to apply mineral fertilizers containing nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and other chemicals to the soil. And in order for the weeds, harmful insects and all sorts of rodents did not destroy the crop in the bud, plants are sprayed with various pesticides: herbicides (for weeds), fungicides (for fungal diseases), insecticides (for insects) and zoocides (for rodents). All these chemicals get into the soil, water, air, and inevitably accumulate in plants, especially such as celery, watermelons, melons, cucumbers, strawberries, potatoes, etc. If the concentration of chemicals of this kind in vegetables or fruits is high enough, you can easily get poisoned. And even scientists do not know for sure about the long-term consequences that may occur after exposure to chemicals on the body. But definitely nothing good can be expected from eating chemically contaminated foods.
To get as little as possible into the body with food chemical compounds It is best to eat vegetables and fruits from your garden. Here you can be one hundred percent sure that there will be no chemistry in them. But not everyone can afford such a luxury. Alternatively, you can buy products in stores selling so-called "organic" products. The prices in these stores are exorbitant. But here latest research Scientists have shown that not very organic vegetables differ from ordinary ones: according to the results of the analyzes, the level of pesticides in them was 7%, while in ordinary vegetables it was approximately 35%. What to do?
Moidodyr to help us
It turns out that elementary washing helps to significantly reduce the level of harmful substances that can enter our body with fruits and vegetables. Pesticides form a sticky coating on vegetables and fruits, as they must remain on plants as long as possible.
Otherwise, after each rain, a new pollination would have to be carried out. Therefore, washing vegetables and fruits under running water, even without the use of brushes and detergents, can rid the fruits of the lion's share of chemicals. And if you take a soft brush and walk it over freshly bought vegetables and fruits, it will be generally fine.
Some experts advise soaking vegetables and fruits for ten minutes in a weak solution of vinegar (four parts of water for one share of vinegar), or in saline solution and then wash them. This is not without meaning, since in such a solution the fruits “soak” and harmful plaque is removed more easily. Pesticide residues are perfectly removed when blanching vegetables.
It is very useful to soak vegetables in cold water if you want to get rid of excess nitrates. With watermelon, however, such a number will not work, but it is quite possible to “neutralize” cucumbers by cutting off their “ass” and leaving them in a pot of water for half an hour or an hour. At the same time, vegetables will acquire the lost turgor, become elastic and more juicy. In the same way, nitrates are removed from greens. If you don’t want to take risks, don’t buy vegetables and fruits that are too early at all: they contain a huge amount of nitrates.
An effective method for removing pesticides is peeling fruits and vegetables. Although the peel of some fruits contains various beneficial substances, their benefits are lost against the background of the possibility of poisoning with pesticides, so it is better to peel the peel. And buy refined vegetable oil. Not only is it more convenient to use when frying, it gets rid of pesticides almost completely during the cleaning process.
Each vegetable is harmful in its own way.
Cabbage accumulates nitrates in the stalk, and its upper leaves are contaminated with pesticides. Therefore, peel the cabbage before cooking, and do not use the stalk.
Carrot nitrate accumulates in the upper, thick part, so it is also cut off.
The peel of a potato should not be cut thinly, as was considered correct by our grandparents, but thickly, since all harmful substances accumulate in it.
You should not eat too large vegetables: cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots - they definitely have more nitrates than the norm, and such vegetables are inferior in taste to their small counterparts.
Fresh greens, especially out of season, are just a warehouse of nitrates. Be sure to soak it in water before eating.
Do you love grapes? Many insects also love it, so the grapes are sprayed with a variety of chemicals. Wash grapes especially carefully. This also applies to plums, and cherries, and cherries. Peaches and apples knowledgeable people always clean. Well, as for everyone's favorite watermelons - you can't guess. The only thing that can be advised: buy watermelons in season. In June-July, watermelons, temptingly reclining on the shelves, are stuffed with so many chemicals that it’s scary to say. And do not take watermelons sold along the roadsides, otherwise, along with the usual nitrates, you will have to taste compounds of lead and other heavy metals.
agriculture from all over the world. “But it’s clearly somewhere out there,” we think, “it doesn’t concern us.” And shop counters beckon with shiny apples, glossy tomatoes and sunny oranges. And we, forgetting about everything in the world, are already bringing fresh fruit to our mouths for immediate tasting. Stop! And wash?
How fruits and vegetables are processed
Not all regions can boast of abundant harvests, and therefore fruits and vegetables are supplied from abroad, especially during the cold season. But organic products do not have a long shelf life, so they are processed for safety during transportation.
- Fruits are coated with paraffin and wax to give them a glossy sheen and increase their shelf life.
- Diphenyl is impregnated with paper in which citrus fruits are wrapped. This petroleum product is considered a carcinogen.
- Fruit is treated with methyl bromide and fungicides to kill pests and.
- Dried fruits are placed in sulfur dioxide to increase the shelf life and give a presentation.
- Pesticides are added at the stage of fruit ripening to get rid of insects and fungi. They are toxic and can accumulate in the human body, causing irreversible effects.
- Nitrates are used to fertilize the soil and accelerate plant growth. They are stored in fruits and other parts of plants. For humans, nitrates are dangerous, and in large doses they are fatal.
Even if you are sure of the origin of the fruit, you should not eat them directly from the branch. There may be particles of earth, the remains of the vital activity of insects, birds or animals.
How to neutralize fruits and vegetables
General rules
Delicate lettuce and prickly cucumber cannot be scrubbed with one brush: each product has its own cleaning subtleties. But there are also standard hygiene rules for everyone:
- Any fruits and vegetables can be washed in cold running water. It advises How does the FDA recommend washing fruits and vegetables? even the FDA food products and medicines in the United States.
- Wash fruits just before eating. During processing, the outer layer is damaged, and the product begins to deteriorate.
How to wash fruits
- We wash glossy and slippery fruits from wax with a brush and soap in cold running water.
- Citrus fruits are recommended to be scalded with boiling water: hot water will not harm their dense skins, but it will neutralize surface preservatives.
Wash even those fruits that you are going to peel before eating. Dirt from the surface can get onto the pulp through your hands.
- The grapes will benefit from a shower. Divide the brush into small clusters for convenience, and after water procedures dry in a colander.
- Wash the pineapple without removing the leaves, with a brush and soap.
- Be especially careful with watermelon and melon: in the process of ripening, they lie directly on the ground.
- If you have, it will be useful to soak any fruit in cold water for an hour.
- Not sure about the origin of purchased fruits? Act for sure: cut off the peel, preferably with a margin.
- Rinse dried fruits in cold water, and then pour over with boiling water to get rid of preservatives, which unscrupulous manufacturers do not skimp on.
How to wash vegetables
- If you find yellow spots under the skin when cutting a cucumber, potato or zucchini, discard this vegetable. These marks speak of elevated content nitrates.
- Remember that most harmful substances are in the upper and lower parts of the fetus, upper leaves and stalk, peel. Remove or cut them before use.
- In carrots, additionally remove the core: toxins also accumulate in it.
- Root crops (radishes, turnips, potatoes and others) should be cleaned from the remnants of the earth. To do this, soak them in warm water for 10-15 minutes, and then rub well with a brush.
- At onion first cut off the bottom, peel the vegetable from the husk, and then rinse in cold running water.
- White cabbage is usually not washed, but the upper dirty and sluggish leaves are removed and the stalk is cut out.
- Before bathing, go through the cauliflower with a grater or knife to cut off the darkened inflorescences. If there are bugs in the head, soak it in salt water for 10 minutes or in water with vinegar (1 tablespoon per liter of water) for half an hour.
- Clean the lettuce, parsley, green onions, dill from the roots and withered stems, and then fill a large container with cold water and rinse the leaves from sand and dust in it.
How do you wash vegetables and fruits before eating? Are you afraid of nitrates and pesticides? Do you have your own cleansing recipe? Share in the comments.
We all know from childhood that the gifts of nature, wherever they are grown, should be washed thoroughly. Berries, vegetables and fruits are almost certainly in the ground, dust and, even worse, in pesticides. Harmful, as you know, it is the chemicals that fertilize plants. This is especially true for store and market products. And microorganisms found on the surface of fruits and vegetables can cause digestive disorders and poisoning. There are more than enough arguments in favor of thorough washing.
And now let's figure out how exactly it is necessary to wash vegetables and fruits. There is general rules and norms, following which it is possible to effectively deal with contaminants on the surface of fruits.
You can even wash them in soapy water using a brush. The main thing is to wash off the remnants of soap and waxes that the plants fertilized from the surface. Allergy sufferers are advised to leave imported fruits for 1 hour in cold water before use and storage. So they leave harmful substances that cause an allergic reaction. It is thanks to them that vegetables and fruits live longer, but adversely affect our body.
Housewives take note! Fruits must be washed quickly and immediately after purchase. So they will retain a maximum of vitamins and other useful substances. Some of them are best eaten immediately after washing. This is especially true of berries, in particular strawberries. After all, the thin skin of some fruits is damaged when washed, and the spoilage process becomes irreversibly fast. If you peel off the skin, do it with a stainless steel knife. So the vegetable or fruit will not oxidize and lose vitamins.
You can determine the presence of nitrates in vegetables by eye. If you, having removed the skin from a zucchini, cucumber or potato, found yellow spots You can throw them away without regret. They are just full of nitrates. Although these harmful substances can be fought. They go away with salt water. Just leave the fruits in it overnight. Consider the fact that vitamins will go along with nitrates. But, you see, it is better to choose the lesser of two evils.
You should know that each product needs to be handled differently. It all depends on their structure and qualities.
Roots
They should be completely rid of earth and sand. If the dirt is poorly cleaned, it is better to soak the vegetables in water for a while, then the earth will move away without special efforts. For convenience, use a brush. After the roots are washed, they should be dried thoroughly.
Vegetables that do not grow in the ground should also be washed in running water. Before you wash the onion, you should cut off the bottom. Next, get rid of the dry husks. corn on the cob they are also washed after the husks and hairs are removed from them.
Citrus
If you have to wash citrus fruits, then they should first be scalded hot water. Boiling water will wash away preservatives that are on the surface of the fruit. Then just wash them in running water.
Fruits and berries
Fruits are washed under ordinary running water. Preferably with soap. This will remove wax and substances that were sprayed on the plants from the peel. Wash the pineapple directly with the leaves in running water. He will need to be allowed to dry, after shaking off excess water from him. Wash watermelons and melons under the same running water. If necessary, use a brush.
For grapes, arrange a "shower" and then let the water drain well. You can wash the berries as a single bunch, or by dividing them into small branches, or completely separating the berries from the petioles.
Dried fruits
Purchased dried fruits should be washed in without fail. They are almost certainly processed for long-term storage. After you wash the dried fruits under the tap, discard them in a colander and pour boiling water over them. As for homemade dried fruits, they should be kept in water for some time. So sand and other impurities will separate from them.
Greenery
Before washing the greens, rid it of yellowed leaves, roots and stems. Very often, between the leaves of greenery there is earth and sand, which are difficult to wash immediately. Therefore, it should be put for a while in a container of water. Then all the dirt will come out by itself. Lettuce celery is recommended to be left in cold water for 1-2 hours. Before washing, leeks are removed from spoiled leaves, then cut lengthwise and washed in a container with water.
Cabbage
White cabbage washed under running water. If necessary, the upper damaged leaves must be removed. Do not eat the stalk. It contains the highest concentration of nitrates.
Before washing cauliflower spoiled inflorescences should be removed. Then you need to place it in salt water and hold it there for about 5-10 minutes. This is done so that all small midges and bugs are “evacuated” from the cabbage. Instead of salt water, you can also use acidified water (1 tablespoon of vinegar per 1 liter of water).
artichokes before washing should be cleaned of coarse leaves, and then rinsed in running water. Not everyone knows how to properly eat this product. Edible is only Bottom part this exotic plant.
asparagus washed in a container with water, and then cleaned towards the base of the stem, retreating from the head by about 2 cm.
Brussels sprouts wash under running water. Before direct cooking, it is recommended to cut the heads of cabbage from the stem.
