How to Wash Your Veggies & Fruits

Washing fruits and vegetables is unavoidable, irrespective of how you eat them later. The use of pesticides, being moved by hand, and left out in the open exposes them to a lot of pathogens. It has become even more dangerous since the coronavirus pandemic; the disease can also be transmitted through contaminated objects. And since everyone visits the veggies and fruits section, you can never be sure.

Eating fruits and vegetables cannot and should not be avoided altogether because they make up for an important part of your meal. Get FITEFAST to consult certified nutritionists for customized diet plans based on your needs and preferences.

• How big is the risk?f

The problem is that the seemingly clean and healthy fruits and vegetables might be contaminated on the surface with COVID-19. And there are other harmful pathogens to worry about as well. Experts say that washing them thoroughly is indispensable because they are handled by growers, pickers, truckers, store owners, and finally shoppers. While anyone could be carrying coronavirus, there’s also a chance the farming practices might have contaminated them.

While experts say that the risk is low, there are still a lot of unknowns besides there being a possibility of it. Therefore, it is understandable if you want to take extra precautions by washing them thoroughly. Coronavirus isn’t the only threat – there’s a threat of foodborne illnesses like hepatitis A, salmonella, E. coli, listeria, etc.

• Does rinsing fruits & veggies suffice?

There’s no “official” position on how to wash your fruits and vegetables. However, several suggestions going around. According to experts, washing vegetables with just water is good enough and even if it leaves a few pathogens, they won’t be strong enough to bother you. However, if you have low immunity, you might want to do much more. Rinsing removes pesticide residue. If you do get sick from eating veggies and fruits after washing them, there are probably a lot of pathogens on them. Clearly, rinsing isn’t enough in these cases.

• How to wash fruits & veggies

If you have microbes on your hands, they can easily be transferred to fruits and veggies, which is why you should wash your hands before washing the veggies. You should follow the same before washing utensils. The majority of the fruits and vegetables can be simply cleaned by rubbing them with your hands for a few seconds. This gets rid of more than 90% of the germs.

Washing with soaps and detergents is strictly unadvisable. That being said, you should wash everything – not just the fruits and veggies whose skins are edible but those whose skins aren’t as well. For example, melon, oranges, mangoes, pineapples, and most vegetables. If you don’t, microbes can be transferred in the pulp when you cut them. So, it’s always best to wash and peel them before cutting them.

Note that you should wash the vegetables just before you start to cook them or eat them because extra moisture creates a hospitable environment for microbes. Visibly dirty or not, just keep them in an isolated place and wash them just before cooking or eating. You can use salt water or vinegar water to clean them thoroughly. Although it is not necessary, it is prudent in the time of a pandemic.