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The best way to wash your strawberries

The best way to wash your strawberries

Is there anything more delicious than a bowl full of fresh strawberries? But hold up just one second! Before you bite into those ripe, red beauties, you should make sure you’re cleaning off any nasty residue that could make you or your family sick. You don’t want to bake bugs into your perfect strawberry rhubarb pie, and you definitely don’t want chemicals mixed into your strawberry sangria. Follow these trip to make sure you’re doing all you can to make your berries as wholesome as nature intended: Before you begin Don’t wash berries until you’re ready to cook or eat them. Strawberries are like little sponges, and they soak up moisture whenever present. This means premature rinsing can cause them to go bad much more quickly. Save time with organic If you’ve purchased organic strawberries from a local farmer or shop, you only need to wash them off under cool…

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The 2019 Dirty Dozen reveals fruits and vegetables with most pesticides present

The 2019 Dirty Dozen revels fruits and vegetables with most pesticides present

Exactly how safe is that produce in your kitchen? The Environmental Working Group (EWG) recently released its annual “Dirty Dozen” report naming the fruits and vegetables contaminated with the highest number of pesticides — and the list is full of everyday, household favorites. The EWG analyzed data from the United States Department of Agriculture. Overall, the USDA found 225 different pesticides on the common fruits and veggies Americans eat everyday. The tests were conducted before produce was washed or peeled — which shows that simple washing isn’t enough to eliminate pesticides from your produce. As a reminder, researchers have long-warned us that consuming pesticides can lead to a number of health issues including cancer and low fertility. Some fruits and vegetables that appear on the 2019 Dirty Dozen list are regulars (hello again, strawberries), but some are newcomers to the pesticide-laden list of shame. This year, kale seems to be…

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This is the best way to wash pesticides off your fruit and vegetables, study shows

This is the best way to wash pesticides off your fruit and vegetables, study says

If you splash your fruits and veggies with a little water and consider them clean, you might want to step your game up. It turns out there is only one way that will get rid of the dangerous pesticides coating them. According to a 2017 study published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, removal of pesticide residues from fresh produce is important to reduce the risk of exposure. Pesticides have been linked to a number of health problems in humans including everything from headaches to respiratory problems to cancer. So what’s the best way to rid your produce of these unwanted chemical residues? Scientists for the study applied three different washing methods to a bunch of Gala apples — Clorox bleach, baking soda, and plain tap water. They tracked the pesticide levels throughout the study and found that apples soaked in a baking soda and water solution for…

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Dirty Dozen: Fruits, vegetables with the most pesticides

Dirty Dozen: Fruits, Vegetables with most peticides by Everybody CravesImage credit: Thinkstock

Nearly 70 percent of sampled produce was found to have significant pesticide residue, according to a new report by one government agency. The biggest offender? Strawberries. The Environmental Working Group released its 2017 list of the “dirtiest” and “cleanest” items in the produce isle. Strawberries, spinach and nectarines took the top spots of shame, while sweet corn, avocados and pineapples were rated the “cleanest.” At least 178 different pesticides were found on the produce, even after they were washed, and in some instances, peeled. Pesticides have been known to cause a number of health issues, including short-term problems like headaches and digestive troubles to chronic conditions like cancer and endocrine disruption. “Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables is essential no matter how they’re grown, but for the items with the heaviest pesticide loads, we urge shoppers to buy organic,” said Sonya Lunder, an EWG senior analyst. It’s particularly important to reduce young children’s exposures to pesticides, says Lunder. “Even low levels…

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