Do I need to wash fruits and vegetables with soap?

Everyone knows that hands need to be washed with soap. And it is advisable to do this more often. Especially before meals. But if we wash our hands with soap, it means that just rinsing with water does not make them clean. But what in this case to be with fruits and vegetables? Is it really necessary to wash cucumbers, tomatoes, dill, potatoes and even strawberries with soap? And for that matter, maybe you need to wash all the goods bought in the store before sending them to the refrigerator shelf? The experts have no consensus on this. And yet, let's try to figure it out.

Dirty foods can cause serious illness.

Content

• 1 Why wash fruits and vegetables?
• 2 How to wash fruits and vegetables?
  • 2.1 Tips for washing fruits and vegetables
• 3 Are washed vegetables and fruits safe?
• 4 The dirtiest vegetables and fruits
  • 4.1 The dirtiest products of 2019
• 5 How to wash products? Council of the Ministry of Health
• 6 How to wash meat, fish and eggs?

Why wash fruits and vegetables?

If you have been to a village, then you know that thereno one is particularly ceremonious with washing fruits and vegetables collected in the garden. As a child, I often spent summers in the village with my grandparents. In their garden they didn’t grow anything — cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, apples, carrots — you can list them for a very long time. And somehow it was taken for granted to pluck the carrots from the garden, shake it a little from the dirt and eat it. I am silent about berries and fruits - you yourself understand. But if this is so, then why wash fruits and vegetables?

This is interesting: New packaging will allow deteriorating deteriorated products in a second.

There are actually several reasons whyit is important to rinse all fruits and vegetables with water. Firstly, nobody likes to eat dirt, at least it grinds unpleasantly on its teeth. But another thing is even more important - today not everyone has their own garden, where you can safely grow a variety of vegetables and fruits and be sure that they are not sprayed with any pesticides. And many pesticides are known to be hazardous to health.

However, the most important reason for washing vegetables andfruit experts call protection from disease. In different countries, food and drug control authorities give different numbers, but at least 48 million people fall ill from contaminated food each year. The purpose of washing vegetables and fruits is to reduce the number of bacteria and not fall prey to, for example, E. coli or Salmonella.

It looks like salmonella under the microscope

Note that it is heard by the general publicusually there are large outbreaks, and isolated cases of infection when eating unwashed fruits and vegetables in food occurs much more often. And on any scale. But that is not all. Experts note that washing vegetables and fruits immediately before eating or cooking. The fact is, the storage of washed products creates an ideal moist environment for bacterial growth. Too much moisture can cause fruits and vegetables to deteriorate faster.

How to wash fruits and vegetables?

So, the main question: is it enough to just rinse fruits and vegetables with water or do you need to do this with soap? This is where the opinions of experts differ. The fact is that soap or other products can remain on food, and their effect on the human body has not been studied so well.

Therefore, the best way is stillwashing vegetables and fruits with water, using a special brush and a small amount of baking soda. However, before starting to wash the products, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. This will at least guarantee that microbes from your hands will not get into fresh products. When washing, use running water and vigorously rub fruits and vegetables with your hands to remove dirt and surface microorganisms. For products with hard peels, you can use a vegetable brush to properly clean the surface.

In the photo, finger tomatoes take a shower

Tips for washing fruits and vegetables

Do not wash vegetables and fruits with hot water. It may allow certain microorganisms to enter the food.

Do not wash berries long before you are going to eat them. The porous nature of the berries increases the likelihood of moisture and mold growth.

Rinsing fruit under a kitchen faucet can remove dirt. But many studies show that adding baking soda to water is the best way to remove pesticide residues.

To kill bacteria, use a vegetable brush to wash products with thick skin and discard the outer leaves of leafy green vegetables such as cabbage and lettuce before washing.

Experts advise making your own vegetable washhands - you can fill a clean kitchen sink with cold water and add 4 tablespoons of baking soda. In the sink, fruits and vegetables should be soaked in cold water and left for five minutes, and then properly dried. The exception is berries or other soft fruits and vegetables that may become too wet. They also need to be washed, but this must be done quickly.

Are washed vegetables and fruits safe?

But what about food and vegetables, on the packagingwhich says they are washed? Unfortunately, no one can say with certainty whether this is actually or not, since this is not a regulated procedure. So experts advise to protect themselves and once again to wash these products. It certainly won’t be worse.

The dirtiest vegetables and fruits

However, the most important thing you need to pay attention toattention is a "dirty dozen." A “dirty dozen” is a list of fruits and vegetables compiled by the Environmental Working Group. The list ranks fruits and vegetables by the likelihood of pesticide residues in them.

The dirtiest products of 2019

Strawberry;

spinach;

cabbage;

nectarines;

apples

grapes;

peaches;

cherry;

pears

Tomatoes

celery;

potatoes.

Over 90% of samples of strawberries, apples, cherries,spinach, nectarines and cabbage gave a positive result for the presence of residues of two or more pesticides. Some cabbage samples showed the presence of about 18 different pesticides.

Grapes require extra thorough washing

In other words, you should pay close attention to washing any product from the list.

You can find out which products are good for your health on our channel in Yandex.Zen.

How to wash products? Council of the Ministry of Health

It would seem that for such a simple procedure aswashing fruits and vegetables in this article is not enough. However, before you start violently pouring baking soda into the sink with fruits and vegetables, do not forget that government recommendations for washing foods are quite simple:

Wash your hands with soap and water, wash foods before cleaning, and gently rub while holding them under running water. Use a vegetable brush to wash products with thick peels.

How to wash meat, fish and eggs?

So, sort of sorted out with the washing of fruits and vegetables. But how to wash meat, eggs, mushrooms and fish? The experts of the Roskachestvo came to the rescue, who made a list of products that do not need to be washed before cooking. These products primarily include poultry. The fact is that during washing dangerous bacteria do not die, but joyfully spread through the kitchen, jeopardizing the health of all the inhabitants of your home. Only long-term heat treatment is capable of destroying harmful bacteria, including salmonella, preferably not lower than 74 degrees Celsius.

And how do you wash fruits, vegetables and other products? Share your stories in the comments and our Telegram chat.

Also included in the list are eggs and mushrooms per pack. According to experts, the egg shell has a porous structure and a waterproof cuticle that protects the shell from bacteria. However, many, nevertheless, wash their eggs or wipe them with antibacterial wipes - in the end, the presence of salmonella in chicken droppings has not been canceled. So here everyone has to decide for himself. But with mushrooms the story is a little different. Mushrooms in the package are already cleaned of dirt, and water can eliminate their rich aroma and even affect the taste.

Fish, beans, rice and, of course, vegetables and fruitsit is always necessary to wash. It should be noted that the representatives of Roskachestvo do not hide that washing food products is a very difficult topic, as there are a number of products, for example seeds or dried fruits, which no one has decided yet to wash.

By the way, washing bottles and others will not be superfluous.food products that are in the refrigerator with fresh products. Imagine for yourself - a bottle of sparkling water that lies in your refrigerator where you just haven’t been, until it fell into your hands. And this is not to mention who touched her besides you.