We all consume fruits & vegetables on a daily basis as they have various vitamins & minerals which helps in providing optimum health to our bodies. Another harsh reality is that they contain many pesticides also. It is really sad to know that in around 99% crops, pesticides are used. The pesticides residue are always on these fruits & vegetables when you buy them from markets.
Want to know another shocking fact, even after washing these fruits & vegetables in running water for 10-15 seconds, you cannot get rid of these pesticides. In the last 15 years, the use of chemical pesticides has dramatically increased in agriculture to meet the food needs of a growing population.
Eating fruits & vegetables coated with pesticides causes various health problems like Hormonal imbalance, Skin Issues, Hair Problems, Diarrhea & Food Poisoning. It causes some more chronic health problems related to Heart, Lung, Kidney, Brain & even Cancer.
Whenever you go to buy fruits & vegetables from any grocery shop, they are generally treated with 3 types of chemical agents. These are:
1. Ripening Agents (Calcium Carbide):
Fruits like bananas & mangoes are treated with this to mimic the artificial ripening cycle. This is done to ripe these fruits as quickly as possible to market them before the season. The calcium carbide used in the ripening of these contains heavy metals like Lead & Arsenic which damages the human body.
2. Coating Agents (Wax, Diphenylamine):
Fruits like Apples & Grapes are generally coated by these. All other exotic foreign fruits & vegetables which are being imported in India are coated by these agents to make look fresh and nice for longer periods of time.
Solution: To deal with these Ripening & coating agents' problems on fruits & vegetables we can take some simple steps that will help in avoiding health problems & saving money.
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Make it a rule to not eat any fruit & vegetable that is not in season.
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Choose local fruits & vegetables & ditch foreign fruits & vegetables. By doing this, you will also help our local farmers & Indian economy. In addition, you will be saved from consuming these chemical ripening & coating agents.
Now let’s talk about 3rd chemical agent which is the most harmful & dangerous.
3. Pesticides:
There are 2 types of pesticides used on plants, trees & crops. These are systematic pesticides & contact pesticides. Systematic pesticides are put & sprayed at the bottom in roots. They can be absorbed by plants & trees.
Contact pesticides are sprayed on fruits & vegetables. These are the ones which create major problems as their residue remains on fruits & vegetables. The good news is we can get rid of these.
Let’s talk about solutions now:
1. The first option is can opt for organic food. However organic foods also use some chemicals, but they opt for safer alternatives. Organic foods are costly also, so many people cannot afford them. So they are the ultimate practical solution. So let me share the most practical solution below.
2. You can remove 98% of the pesticides from fruits & vegetables by this easy method. All you have to do is put contaminated fruits & vegetables in a large container & soak them in water.
Then just put 1 tablespoon of Baking Soda in the container. Leave it for 20-25 minutes. After this, wash fruits & vegetables thoroughly with running tap water.
