The alerts keep raining down. In a study published last week, UFC-Que Choisir denounced the contamination of 50% of fruits and vegetables from intensive agriculture by risky pesticides. This week, rebelote: the NGO Generation Futures reports that 63.1% of non-organic fruits, vegetables, and cereals contain pesticide residues above the detection limit. As you will have understood, it is therefore better to buy organic. But what to do when you don’t have the means or the offer is limited on your territory? Are we doomed to swallow harmful substances with each cherry or carrot swallowed? In truth, it is possible to reduce traces of pesticides with a few tricks. Overview.
#1 Remove the skin
Peeling is certainly the most radical alternative to try to get rid of pesticides. By removing the skin from your fruits and vegetables, then washing them with water, you can indeed reduce pesticide residues by half, estimates Michel Cymès on RTL. However, it is impossible to completely remove these harmful substances, even by peeling your plants.
But if this technique is effective, it has a downside: some of the nutrients are found in the skin of fruits and vegetables. Peeling them therefore amounts to depriving you of their vitamins and other benefits…
#2 A water and baking soda bath
If you don’t want to remove the skin from your fruits and vegetables, proper washing is a must! Rinsing plants with cold water is not enough to remove pesticide residues present in their skin. Instead, opt for a long-lasting soak. For this, prepare a bath with two teaspoons of baking soda per liter of water. Immerse your plants in it and let them soak for regarding fifteen minutes.
Once this time has elapsed, rinse your fruits and vegetables once more in cold water and you’re done. This solution is less effective than peeling but it still reduces the amount of pesticide residues present, according to a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (note, this study only studied two pesticides). [1]
#3 Vinegar Dip
To clean your fruits and vegetables, you can also turn to an essential household product: vinegar. Whether white or cider, vinegar will help you eliminate the bacteria present in your plants and can also reduce the presence of pesticide residues (even if no scientific study proves it).
Dilute a glass of vinegar in two liters of water and soak your fruits and vegetables in it for regarding fifteen minutes. Then rinse them with cold water and dry them with a clean cloth. You can eat them followingwards, without having to remove their skin! [2]
#4 Organic, when possible
Some fruits and vegetables may not withstand a water bath. This is the case, for example, with small berries or raspberries, which fill up quickly and lose taste. For these foods, it is therefore preferable to buy organic, since organic farming prohibits the use of synthetic pesticides. In general, the UFC-Que Chsoisir recommends turning to organic fruits and vegetables to preserve your health. “But it is not acceptable to have to force consumers to switch to a more expensive offer, when these worrying global findings are the result of a particularly lax regulatory framework”denounces the association in its latest report on the subject.
As you will have understood, there is no miracle solution for getting rid of pesticides harmful to health. But while waiting for their ban, you can still carry out these reinforced washes to continue eating fruits and vegetables which are essential for a healthy diet.
