You just get home from the grocery store, you're carrying in bags and bags of groceries, and depending on how busy you are, you're just trying to get everything put away as quick as possible. At this point you may be thinking, "Ehhh.. is it absolutely necessary to wash my produce?" I get it!
There is always the option of buying frozen fruits and veggies, (no judgement, I use plenty of frozen fruits and veggies) but lets admit, some things taste better fresh... right out of the produce section! Okay, so, "WHY" and "HOW" do we wash our fruits and veggies??? I'm glad you asked!
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says washing your produce under running water can prevent you from becoming infected with food-borne illnesses like Norovirus, which is the country’s leading cause of disease outbreaks from contaminated food. Not to mention, as produce passes from hands to hands, washing can prevent you from you ingesting dirt, bugs, debris.
Personally, I have used Fit Veggie wash by putting a cap full in a sink of water and dropping my produce in for about 20 mins. There are SO many veggie washes out there that you can purchase from Amazon, Walmart, etc. You can even make your own, and natural is always the way if it's accessible to you! After I am out of my current wash, I would like to make my own! I will keep you all posted! ;)
I also have a veggie brush that once they have soaked, I will brush them off, rinse about 10 seconds, and then lay out to dry before placing them away. After you wash your produce and see the sink water you will never not take the time to do this again! lol
Some say that there are some fruits that you peel that you don't need to wash, but I just throw them in with the others in the sink. As I peel them, I don't want what's on my hand from the peel to touch my fruit. Totally a personal preference.
On the other hand, berries just need to be rinsed or soaked before eating because they degrade quicker once they are washed.
I hope this helps! Please let us know if you have any questions or suggestions regarding washing produce, and if you'd like to see us make our own DIY produce wash from natural ingredients in the future!!
XO,
Mak
Comments