Food
The Dirty Dozen of Fruits and Vegetables
4 Simple Ways to Remove Pesticides From Your Produce
You are what you eat and you can get sick from it.
Nearly 75% of non-organic produce sold in the U.S. has residue of harmful pesticides on them according to the Environmental Workers Group (EWG). This is a problem because pesticides are toxins, and toxins disrupt your endocrine system.
Your endocrine system contains hormones (glands) throughout your body which are messengers of specific functions. These messengers help your body operate efficiently by telling it what to do and when to do it in the right amount.
If this signaling is off and your body starts giving too much or too little of a hormone, an imbalance occurs. Your body starts to dysfunction, causing health issues to pop up, and wreaking havoc on your well-being.
Here’s a list of produce that are typically tainted with pesticides. This includes findings from 46,569 samples of fruits and vegetables.
THE DIRTY DOZEN —
1. STRAWBERRIES
2. SPINACH
3. KALE, COLLARDS, AND MUSTARD GREENS
4. PEACHES
5. PEARS
6. NECTARINES
7. APPLES
8. GRAPES
9. BELL & HOT PEPPERS
10. CHERRIES
11. BLUEBERRIES
12. GREEN BEANS
It’s sad that shoppers have to pay for foods that are laden with chemicals and do our best to clean them in a healthy way, so we can get the nutritional value from them. All of these foods listed have certain nutrients to fortify our bodies. We need to eat them, but not with the toxic residue on them.
And I’m going to share with you 4 easy and natural ways to clean them.
HOW TO CLEAN YOUR FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
Homemade veggie wash is simple and easy and it’s better for the environment because you’re using natural ingredients to remove dirt and pesticides from your produce. And, you probably already have the ingredients at home.
4 Simple Ways:
- With APPLE CIDER VINEGAR(ACV)- 1 part ACV to 10 parts cold water.
Let produce sit for about 5 minutes in solution in a clean bowl.
Scrub if necessary (You can use a produce brush or paper towel).
Rinse and let dry.
*Side Note: Apple Cider Vinegar has many health benefits for the body such as helping to lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and acid reflux. See here.
* Cold water is used to keep produce intact when removing pesticides.
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2. With BAKING SODA- 2 teaspoons of baking to 2 cups of cold water
Let produce for 10–12 minutes in solution in a clean bowl.
Use the palm of your hand to move produce around in solution.
Use a produce brush or paper towel to rub off residue.
Rinse and let dry.
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3. With HYDROGEN PEROXIDE-1 tablespoon of 3% food grade hydrogen peroxide to 1 GALLON of cold water.
Let produce soak for about 5–7 minutes in a clean bowl
Scrub with a brush or paper towel.
Rinse and let dry.
*Side Note: Use a spray bottle for easy use
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4. With CASTILE SOAP- 1 slight squirt of castile soap and 1 gallon of cold water
Let produce soak for about 5 minutes in a clean bowl.
Scrub if necessary.
Rinse well and let dry.
*Side Note-Use unscented castile soap. (I use Dr. Bronner’s.)
The Takeaway
Your health is important, and you want to make sure that the foods you eat are free of any toxins and are cleaned properly.
If “mysterious” happenings are affecting your body and you don’t know what’s causing them, pesticides may be the blame. Make sure you’re cleaning your fruits and vegetables properly, so you can receive amazing health benefits from all of them, including The Dirty Dozen. Using these methods can help safeguard your health and is simple and safe to use.
Thanks for reading!