Why are pesticides, nitrates and nitrites dangerous in vegetables and fruits? What is more harmful: nitrates or pesticides? Moidodyr will help us.

Perhaps there is no person who does not know about the enormous benefits of vegetables and fruits. As is known, they serve as the main suppliers of vitamins to the human body. Moreover, their use can not only preserve health, but sometimes replace expensive medications.

For example, many fruits are practically our only source of vitamin C, which protects against many diseases and strengthens the immune system. Vegetables and fruits supply us mineral salts and microelements: potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and iron. But it’s no secret that, along with beneficial substances, fruits can also contain harmful compounds. For example, if the crop is full of pesticides.
What are pesticides? This is a general name for chemical substances that have a targeted toxic effect. And many of them are actually pumped from garden beds to store shelves, and from there -
on our plates. There are different types of pesticides:

herbicides - substances that kill only a specific type of plant;
insecticides - repellents against insect pests;
fungicides - drugs that limit the growth of various fungi;
Zoocides are compounds that kill animal organisms.

In addition, pesticides also include those chemicals that do not outright kill one or another type of insect or weed, but only limit their ability to reproduce. It would seem that there is nothing to be afraid of, since these remedies act on pests and not on humans. But there is cause for concern. The volumes of pesticides deposited in the soil and dissolved in water have long exceeded all imaginable limits. A number of scientists directly link the increase in the amount of pesticides used in agriculture with the increase in allergic reactions in people.

However, allergies are not the only problem, which can occur due to large amounts of pesticides getting into food. Food poisoning, weakened immunity, exacerbations chronic diseases- all this can also be a consequence of eating vegetables and fruits of dubious quality. And it is children who suffer first. However, the health effects of a number of pesticides have not been sufficiently studied. It is believed that some of them can accumulate in the body and gradually reduce its protective functions.

How can you protect yourself from a chemical attack if you don’t have your own garden, but see fresh fruits and you really want vegetables on the table?

It must be remembered: much depends on the ability of the fetus to absorb certain substances from external environment. Not all types of vegetables and fruits retain poison to the same extent. Plays a big role
and the type of fertilizers that are used to grow a particular crop. Some fertilizers are more toxic, others are practically harmless. That's why possible risk for health is determined by which fruits you prefer as a source of vitamins.

This is, according to American researchers, the list of products that are more strongly flavored with pesticides than others and best retain them:

Celery: the stem of this plant does not have a protective peel, and therefore can contain more than a dozen different pesticides, and in total, manufacturers use almost 70 types of different chemicals to treat this type of agricultural product;

Peaches: Peach pulp has excellent absorptive capacity. Therefore, they contain almost as many chemicals as celery;

Strawberries: purchased strawberries grown in the fields can contain up to fifty different pesticides - unlike those grown by ordinary summer residents who are not familiar with the “magic” ability of chemicals;

Apples: Apples, it turns out, are not as harmless as they seem at first glance. And all because they are often susceptible to attacks by pests and diseases - it is not surprising that manufacturers sometimes have to flavor them with chemicals almost every day. If you are forced to buy apples in the store, eat them without the peel, most of the chemicals settle on it;

Blueberries: blueberry peel is not at all as dense as it seems at first glance: it passes through almost the entire periodic table. Therefore, one berry can contain more than a dozen
various chemicals, with which farmers flavored their crops;

Paprika: the well-known bell pepper absorbs substances from the environment very well. As a result, paprika, collected from fields where producers did not skimp on fertilizers, literally
laden with chemicals;

Cabbage: Nearly six dozen different pesticides can be found in regular cabbage;

Grapes: Grapes are potentially dangerous because the chemicals that get into them can then migrate into wine or juice - after all, this berry is grown largely for the production of various drinks. And from the poisoned one
berries and drinks turn out appropriate;

Potatoes: One potato tuber can contain up to four dozen different chemicals. True, most of them settle on the peel. Hence the question: are jacket potatoes really that useful?

Cherries: The skin of cherries is too delicate and thin to protect it from the many pesticides that may have been applied to the berry.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM PESTICIDES?

Whenever possible, purchase fruits and vegetables from small producers who grow their own crops - and sell the surplus. Pay attention to products that are practically not affected by pesticides:

onions, eggplants, pineapples, asparagus and avocados - they have the least ability to absorb all sorts of nasty things. Try to enrich your diet as much as possible with products you grow yourself - even if it’s just parsley grown in a box on the kitchen window.

To the market - with a nitrate meter! Particular attention should be paid to nitrate fertilizers, which are associated with so many concerns. They are widely used in agriculture, as a result of which nitrates in vegetables and fruits end up on our tables - and in our stomachs.

How big of a health risk do nitrates pose? And how can we protect ourselves from it? Nitrates, as we remember from school course chemistry, - salts of nitric acid. They can be found almost anywhere
all living organisms, since they constitute a necessary part of plant nutrition. IN human body Nitrates come mainly from vegetables, fruits, berries and water. And the very presence of these compounds in our bodies is quite natural and safe.

However, excess nitrates in the body can cause serious harm to health. Main danger lies in the fact that they can turn into more toxic nitrites and nitrosamines, which can provoke various disorders and diseases. These transformations can occur both in food and in body tissues after eating fruits rich in nitrates.

Until recently, determining the concentration of nitrates in the body required the work of an entire laboratory: the process was labor-intensive and expensive. Today this problem can be solved much easier: scientists have invented a household device for measuring nitrate levels - a nitrate meter, which you can always carry with you when going to the market. The nitrate meter takes measurements in a matter of seconds, determining the content of dangerous nitrogen compounds in vegetables, fruits, water and even soil. Modern nitrate meters are based on digital technology and therefore work with high accuracy. Moreover, the devices are compact, they
can operate on ordinary batteries and do not require special knowledge from the owners, since they are very easy to operate. All measurement data is instantly displayed on the color display.

Such a device can cost about six to seven thousand rubles. Of course, this is a significant amount. And yet health is more valuable.

Everything is under control: How to choose the right vegetables and herbs

Today organic nutrition and natural products- not just a trend, but a way of life that is gaining more and more popularity. And, despite the fact that the concept of “organic” is in a certain sense arbitrary, farm shops and shops have no shortage of customers seeking to buy products grown without the use of potentially harmful chemicals. Or, more simply put, pesticides.

Pesticides are chemicals, have been used for many years to control weeds, pests and plant diseases. The problem is that most pesticides are poisons that won't harm you here and now, but can be dangerous in the long term. Do you want to know which fruits and vegetables contain the most pesticides, and which, on the contrary, have almost none? Scientists are ready to answer.

According to the annual report Working group By environment USA (EWG), the most pesticides were found in strawberries, while almost none were found in fruits. The 2017 Buyers' Guide specifically noted that during the experiment, 48 types of fruits and vegetables were tested for the presence of synthetic chemicals.

The foods that contained the highest levels of pesticides were dubbed the "dirty dozen" by researchers. In descending order of pesticide levels, the list looks like this: strawberries, spinach, nectarines, apples, peaches, celery, grapes, pears, cherries, tomatoes, Bell pepper and potatoes. All fruits and vegetables were given positive result in the pesticide test and showed more high concentration them than other products (strawberries, for example, contain at least 20 different pesticides).

The following can boast the lowest amount of pesticides: sweet corn, avocados, pineapples, cabbage, onions, eggplants, kiwi, cauliflower, grapefruit, papaya, asparagus and cantaloupe (Chinese melon). In particular, only 1% of corn and avocado samples showed the presence of pesticides.

Experts, however, do not urge you to give up products that are dangerous from the point of view of the presence of pesticides, but they urge you to be more careful. It's about about being as careful as possible about the food you include in your diet.

So, fruits and vegetables must (unless, of course, you buy salad in a package with the indication “does not require washing”), keep them in the refrigerator and not violate, using the terminology of “Revizorro”, the commercial neighborhood - that is, do not store them next to raw meat, poultry and seafood. This will be quite enough to protect yourself and your loved ones.

What is more poisonous than watermelon? TOP 10 most “pesticide” fruits and vegetables

11.12.2011

Pesticides - chemical substances with a targeted poisoning effect. These include herbicides (kill a specific type of plant), insecticides (kill insect pests), fungicides (limit the growth of fungi), zoocides (kill animals). Pesticides also include chemicals that limit the ability of species to reproduce. Theoretically, pesticides do not harm humans, since they affect certain types Living creatures. But doctors and environmentalists are concerned about the abundance of pesticides in soil, food, and water. Their excess can lead to allergic reactions, exacerbation various diseases or poisoning. Many researchers suggest that the accumulation of pesticides in the body leads to a decrease in immunity with all the ensuing consequences. No one knows yet what amount of pesticides will be critical, but, unlike GMOs, which have become prohibited for use in Food Industry, pesticides continue to be used in the cultivation of agricultural products and end up on our tables.

Here are the most “pesticide” products:

1. Celery
Environmentalists are alarmed by the amount of pesticides in celery: from 13 to 67 different chemicals in one stalk! Celery's lack of a thick protective peel allows it to absorb all the chemicals that are applied to it, and the shape of its stem does not allow the vegetable to be thoroughly washed, so along with the celery we eat most of the chemicals that remain on its surface and are absorbed inside. Worth weighing dietary benefits this vegetable with the danger it poses to the body.

2. Peaches
Peaches are treated with pesticides very often, since the fruit absorbs substances like a sponge, and to preserve the harvest, treatment is carried out several times. More than 60 types of pesticides are used when growing peaches.

3.Strawberry In addition to vitamin C and other “benefits”, strawberries from large agricultural lands contain 53 pesticides. Environmentalists advise buying strawberries from small entrepreneurs or even from grandmothers - such strawberries have more benefits than harm.

4. Apples
Apples are sprayed with 47 types of pesticides, since it is quite difficult to preserve apples from insects, mold, and diseases. Most of the chemicals used are absorbed into the peel, and even thoroughly washing the fruit does not completely remove the chemicals.

5. Blueberries
There are about 13 pesticides in a tiny berry. The thin peel allows almost all the chemicals that are used to treat it to enter the berry.

6. Bell pepper
The thin skin allows 63 types of pesticides to pass into the vegetable.

7. Cabbage, spinach
Cabbage absorbs chemicals deep inside. 57 types of pesticides were found in cabbage. And spinach, which has a huge amount useful substances, contains 45 types of chemicals.

8. Grapes
Grapes are a delicate berry, so they are actively treated with pesticides, which then end up in grape derivatives - wine, raisins and other products.

9. Potatoes
Potatoes grown on large farms are exposed to 37 types of pesticides, most of which are deposited on the skin, and the rest is absorbed into the pulp. You should not eat store-bought potatoes with the skins on, as this will remove half of the chemicals they contain.

10. Cherry
Cherry has the property of neutralizing carcinogens, but, grown in mass conditions, it also contains great amount chemicals, since its thin skin allows substances to enter.

On what basis are the fruits and vegetables ranked on the list? Fruits and vegetables are priced according to quantity And dangers pesticides found in them. To obtain a total pollution score, six different indicators are assessed.

Six indicators that are used to assess food safety:

1. Percentage of samples in which pesticides were detected
2. Percentage of samples with two or more pesticides
3. Average amount of pesticides found in a sample
4. Average content (in parts per million) of all pesticides found
5. Maximum amount of pesticides found in an individual sample
6. Total amount of pesticides found in the product

Table 1. The 49 most dangerous fruits and vegetables for pesticide content, in order of increasing danger

1. Avocado
2. Pineapples
3. Mango (subtropical and tropical)
4. Kiwi (subtropical and tropical)
5. Cranberry
6. Cauliflower
7. cucumbers
8. Oranges
9. Red raspberry
10. Red pepper
11. Green beans (imported)
12. Cucumbers (imported)
13. Plums (imported)
14. Green beans
15. Grapes (imported)
16. Cherry
17. Cabbage
18. Blueberry

Dirty Dozen Products

Of the 12 most polluted food products seven are fruits: peaches, strawberries, apples, blueberries, smooth peaches (nectarines), cherries and imported grapes.

• At least 96% of peaches tested positive for pesticides, compared with 95.1% and 93.6% for smooth peaches and apples, respectively.
• Nearly 86 percent of peaches contained two or more pesticide residues, while apples and nectarines contained 82.3 and 80.6 percent, respectively.
  strawberries and blueberries contained up to 13 pesticides in a single sample. Up to 9 pesticides were detected per sample in peaches and apples.
• Peaches contain more pesticides than any other produce. The total number of different pesticides detected in all samples was 67. Strawberries were in second place (53 pesticides), and apples were in third (47 pesticides).

Celery, bell peppers, spinach, cabbage, collards and potatoes are vegetables that are very likely to contain pesticide residues:

• Approximately 95 percent of the celery samples contained pesticides, while the rates for imported cucumbers and potatoes were 84.5 and 84.2 percent, respectively.
• Nearly 85 percent of the celery samples contained multiple pesticides, with sweet bell peppers and kale containing 61.5 and 53.2 percent, respectively.
• A single sample of celery was contaminated with 13 different pesticides, kale was contaminated with 10, and collards, green beans, spinach and lettuce were contaminated with 9.
• The total number of different pesticides found in celery was 67 items, in sweet bell pepper– 63, cabbage – 57.

Clean fifteen products

Onions, sweet corn, sweet peas, asparagus, cabbage, eggplant and sweet potatoes are the vegetables least contaminated with pesticides.

• No pesticide residues were found in 90% of asparagus, sweet corn and onion samples.
• 82.1% of cabbage, 77.1% of sweet pea, 75.4% of eggplant samples did not contain pesticides.
• The simultaneous presence of several pesticide residues is extremely a rare event for vegetables. No onion or grain samples showed the presence of more than one pesticide. However, 9.3% of sweet potato samples were found to contain more than one pesticide. The most contaminated vegetable sample contained 4 different pesticides.

Fruits least likely to be contaminated with pesticide residues are avocados, pineapples, mangoes, kiwis, cantaloupe, watermelon, grapefruit and cantaloupe.

• Less than 10% of pineapple, mango and avocado samples contained pesticides, and less than one percent of samples contained more than one pesticide residue.
• Nearly 60% of honeydew melons contained pesticides, but only 14.2% of samples contained more than one. Residues of pesticides were found in 54.5% of grapefruit samples, but only 17.5% of samples contained more than two pesticide residues.

Since childhood, we have known that vegetables and fruits carry great benefit for our health. Mothers and grandmothers forced me to eat carrots for the “eyes” and fruits as a source of all vitamins.

All this is certainly true, but there is one condition if these miraculous vegetables and fruits do not carry more harm than good.

We are talking about pesticides and nitrates that come to our table through the gifts of nature that we buy at the market or in a store. Every year the number decreases plant food without harmful chemical trace elements.

Even if you grow cucumbers and potatoes in your garden, there are Great chance encounter nitrates and pesticides.

Today we will talk about the dangers of nitrates in vegetables and fruits and how to get rid of them to avoid harm to health.

Nitrates are nothing more than salts of nitric acid. For growth and development, plants are taken from chemically fertilized soil a large number of nitrates Nitrates artificially added to the soil are also absorbed by plants, but are not used in the metabolic process and remain unchanged.

The human body is partially able to remove nitrates naturally, but some harmful substances still remain and interact with our cells and with other chemical compounds coming from the external environment. By other chemical compounds we mean: pesticides, medicinal substances, chemical compounds, coming from water and air into our body.

Nitrates are converted into nitrites, and they are precisely detrimental influence on human health. The fact is that nitrates are converted into nitrites under the action of an enzyme called nitrate reductase.

Nitrites are a toxic substance for hemoglobin, which in turn carries oxygen to the body's cells. Nitrites act on hemoglobin and convert it into methemoglobin. As a result, oxygen does not reach each cell at the proper level, and carbon dioxide is not derived from it.

If received permissible quantity nitrites within 0.2 mg/kg body weight, approximately 2% of methemoglobin is formed, and another enzyme, reductase, is able to convert it back to normal hemoglobin. The only exception is infants. For young children, nitrite intake levels are much lower.

With such invisible poisoning, metabolic processes in the human body fail:

1. Development of anemia varying degrees gravity.
2. Memory impairment and decline intellectual abilities.
3. Decreased body resistance to microorganisms and viruses.
4. Damage to the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines, which leads to inflammatory processes and exacerbations.
5. Disturbance of the balance of microflora in the small and large intestines with the subsequent development of disbacteriosis.
6. Incorporation into the body harmful fungi and the development of candidiasis.
7. Damage to the liver parenchyma with possible development liver failure.
8. Violation of the vasomotor center with a tendency to decrease blood pressure.
9. Decline humoral immunity and increasing the likelihood of developing malignant neoplasms.

Of course, all these conditions can appear for other reasons and are not isolated, but nitrates can accelerate their manifestation.

• spinach;
• parsley;
• radish;
• dill;
• Chinese cabbage;
• green onions;
• beet;
• celery.

These products contain about 4000 microns/kg of nitrates. As a rule, they are the first to appear in early spring on store shelves and on the market. In order to please customers with bright greens on March 8th, producers do not spare fertilizers and chemicals, thinking about their own benefit and not thinking about our health, because early greens are expensive and promise good revenue.

In second place with a content of up to 1500 mg/kg are the following plants:

• early White cabbage;
• radish;
• swede;
• celery root;
• rhubarb;
• cauliflower;
• broccoli;
• horseradish.

In third place and the average amount of nitrates are following products with an average content of up to 700 mg/kg of nitrates:

• zucchini;
• pumpkin;
• cucumbers;
• sorrel;
• early carrots;
• late autumn cabbage;
• leek;
• squash.

The following products obtain the smallest amount of nitro group from the soil:

• tomatoes;
• Bell pepper;
• potato;
• late carrots;
• peas;
• garlic;
• onion.

But how can we, ordinary buyers, determine whether there is an excess of nitrates in the product we are purchasing or not?

There are several reliable methods.

Portable nitrate testers. It should be noted that such a device is not cheap, but you can determine the content of harmful substances without leaving the counter.

Test strips. Acts as a litmus test that changes its color depending on the nitrate content of the product. You can do the test at home by simply applying the tester to a cut vegetable or fruit.

And finally, there is one more method, based on the observation of experienced chefs and vegetable growers:

1. Ideal appearance by color and shape. If all the apples on the counter look like in the picture without a flaw and with a uniform color, there is a high probability that such miracle apples are saturated with nitrates.
2. Unripe seeds and lack of rich sweet taste, for example, in watermelons and melons, with the ideal bright color and aroma.
3. Yellowing outer surface on cucumbers and their rapid wilting.
4. Hard, whitish-gray veins in the tomato flesh and a relatively light center in relation to the skin.
5. Unnaturally long stems and the same unnatural color of greenery. Rapid rotting of greens at room temperature.
6. Excessive carrot size. Light stem and pale color of the vegetable itself.
7. Fragile lettuce leaves with brownish tips.
8. Lack of sweet taste in fruits and grapes. Too much big sizes.
9. Looseness of potatoes. In the absence of nitrates, the potatoes are elastic and produce a crunch when pressed with a fingernail.

What are pesticides and their effect on the body

Pesticides are chemical compounds that have been used in agriculture since the early twentieth century. Vegetable and fruit producers fight pests and diseases, weeds and other plant scourges in order to increase yields and productivity.

Pesticides are a generalized name for a group of substances:

• herbicides - substances that destroy weeds in fields;
• insecticides - substances that kill insects;
• fungicides - substances that destroy harmful fungi;
• Zoocides are destroyers of harmful warm-blooded animals.

Most pesticides are aimed at killing their targets, but some can cause a lack of ability to reproduce and grow. Pesticides are able to penetrate all plant tissues and cause the desired effect; this is a systemic effect.

Forces workers to use pesticides Agriculture exclusively for commercial purposes and aimed at achieving extremely simple indicators.

Namely, sustainability in the environment, high productivity, increased ability to store vegetables and fruits during long-term transportation.

But, unfortunately, against the background of these useful properties, pesticides neutralize others, no less important indicators plants. With constant and uncontrolled use of pesticides, the useful composition vegetables and fruits, the level of vitamins and microelements inevitably drops and, most importantly, the safety for human consumption of the products decreases.

However, you should not think that pesticides are pure evil, of course not. At the beginning of the twentieth century, when the first chemicals began their fight against pests and insects carrying fatal diseases, it saved the lives of millions of people.

But over time, the uncontrolled use of pesticides by agricultural workers and owners of private plots led to the fact that harmful substances simply did not have time to be processed into simple components, and this began to harm the environment and human health.

Thus, pesticides are classified according to chemical composition to inorganic and organic matter. Organic pesticides are the most commonly used and are called:

1. Organophosphorus.
2. Organochlorine.
3. Organometallic.
4. Alkaloids (in particular nicotine derivatives and neonicotinoids).

In addition, pesticides have a fatal effect on many animals and birds. Birds suffer especially badly from these poisons. Pesticides affect calcium metabolism processes, and this affects the condition of egg shells. Some pesticides have the ability to drift. Thus, traces of DDT were found in the bodies of Antarctic penguins, and pesticides were not used there at all.

We encounter pesticides not only in vegetables and fruits, but also in water, and, accordingly, in fish and algae.

Scientists have finally figured out how pesticides common in the environment affect human health:

1. Certain levels of pesticides in the blood cause tissues to stop responding to insulin, which in turn leads to diabetes mellitus second type. These harmful compounds tend to accumulate in adipose tissue. Some types of chemicals are harmful metabolic processes at all levels and lead to obesity. The body is unable to regulate hormone production and normalize metabolism.
2. Pesticides can cause malignancy blood and lymph, brain, mammary gland, thyroid gland, lung and intestinal cancer.
3. The effect on the fetus is expressed in the occurrence of lung diseases in children in postnatal period.
4. Reputable scientific researchers in the USA and Canada have proven that pesticides contained in vegetables and fruits cause hyperactivity syndrome in children. Moreover, in violation nervous system Pesticides are also to blame for the manifestation of autism in children during the first years of their lives.
5. Toxic substances intended to kill weeds and insects several times increase the risk of Parkinson's disease. This disease affects approximately seven million people worldwide. This applies to both agricultural workers and those who like to poison beetles in their garden.
6. Some experts believe that pesticides will manifest themselves in the future in persistent violation reproductive system, both men and women. The number of miscarriages will increase and congenital deformities. The inability of women to fertilize, and male body will be deprived of the hormone testosterone. Children who are conceived during the period of active use of pesticides will increase the number of children born with congenital anomalies.

It only takes a small amount of pesticides in an eaten vegetable to cause poisoning. Among all people there are categories that may be especially susceptible to this. These are, first of all, small children, pregnant women, and elderly people.

IN special category include people who already have diseases gastrointestinal tract, immune system or serious violations hematopoietic systems. Also, do not forget about people who come into direct contact with pesticides and nitrates due to their work duties. These are warehouse and store workers, agricultural workers caring for plants.

But also in ordinary life, it is enough to consume at least a kilogram of vegetables or fruits saturated with chemicals to get poisoned.

Symptoms of poisoning:

1. Unusual or deviant behavior - if a person screams, shows aggression or, on the contrary, falls into a stupor, etc.
2. Nausea and vomiting.
3. Pain in the abdomen, in the area where the pancreas is located.
4. Headache or dizziness.
5. Decreased performance and severe weakness.
6. Drowsiness or agitation.
7. Unsteady gait, loss of orientation.
8. A sharp decline blood pressure.
9. Pale skin and cyanosis in the area of ​​the nasolabial triangle and fingertips.
10. Yellowness of the whites of the eyes and skin.
11. Loss of consciousness, convulsions.
12. Diarrhea.

If you notice in yourself or your loved ones similar signs, and the symptoms can be combined, or only one of them may appear. Call immediately ambulance or take the victim to the nearest hospital. Before receiving qualified assistance and the ambulance arrives, you can do a few things yourself important actions for the salvation of man.

1. First, rinse your stomach. This can be done by giving a few glasses of salted water and calling vomiting reflex from the root of the tongue.
2. Secondly, dilute magnesium powder in a glass for oral administration. This substance has high osmotic pressure and causes diarrhea. Keep in mind that oral magnesium is extremely bad taste.
3. Provide sorbent if possible. It can be regular black or white Activated carbon, Atoxil, Enterosgel.
4. If a person is unconscious, place him with his legs elevated on his side, so that in case of vomiting, to prevent aspiration of the vomit.

How to get rid of pesticides and nitrates

How to get rid of chemicals in vegetables and fruits, if they are present, to prevent poisoning.

It is important to understand that thanks to the systematic and widespread use of pesticides and nitrates, literally every vegetable or fruit that comes to your table has one degree or another of contamination. The exception is not even products grown in your own garden. The only difference is that people who grow their own vegetables know when and what they add to the ground, or what they irrigate the plants with.

Other consumers can only blindly hope for the integrity of sellers and manufacturers, on whom it is better not to rely. Still, by following some rules, you can get rid of nitrates and pesticides in fruits and vegetables and reduce the concentration of harmful substances in products.

But each type of vegetables and fruits in its own specific way accumulates substances harmful to us in different parts plants, so they need to be cleaned differently.

Potato

Drain the first water after the potatoes boil, pour again clean water and continue cooking. Peel well.

Cabbage

In any type of cabbage, the main part of the nitrates is collected in the upper leaves and stalk. Remove the topmost leaves and do not eat the stalk.

Tomatoes

In this vegetable, the rougher and thicker the peel, the more stuffed it is harmful substances. You should not buy unripe vegetables with a yellow tint. Place the tomatoes in cold water for an hour.

Zucchini, cucumbers and eggplants

Cut off the “butts” of these vegetables, the peel and the stalks - this is the most dangerous place accumulations of pesticides.

On each side, cut an additional centimeter of the vegetable. Soak in cold water for thirty minutes.

Parsley, dill, lettuce

The maximum accumulation of chemicals is in the veins and petioles; they need to be removed. Soak in lightly salted water or soda solution, for forty minutes.

Wash well, or better yet, soak for thirty minutes in water. For better storage grapes are treated with fungicidal solutions.

Pears and apples

If the fruits are sticky and unpleasant to the touch, then they will probably be treated with biphenyl. This substance is used to prevent fruit rotting. Wash under running water warm water with a brush, or better yet, cut off the peel.

By the way, diphenil has long been banned by WHO - World Organization Health as a dangerous carcinogen.

Large berries, cut in half for convenience, can become a source of microbial infection. Watermelon contains maximum amount glucose, which in turn is wonderful nutrient medium for many bacteria.

Yellow veins in the pulp of a watermelon indicate an excess of fertilizers in it. Do a simple and quick test. Place a piece of watermelon pulp in a glass cold water. If the water just becomes cloudy, everything is fine, but if the water in the glass changes color, rest assured, there are pesticides in it.

Carrots, beets, radishes

Early radishes contain the highest level of pesticides of all the vegetables presented. This is exactly what we buy first, in early spring. Trim off the ends and tops of the radishes.

Beets with curled ends most likely have a huge amount of chemicals that can cause a lot of harm. For beets and carrots, be sure to cut off at least one centimeter from the tip and the greenish stalk.

Getting rid of chemicals in vegetables and fruits - useful tips

Any vegetables and fruits get rid of harmful impurities if they are soaked in water.

And the correct one heat treatment, reduces the risk of eating a serving of nitrates by half. Place the vegetables in boiling water without salt, then after a few minutes add salt and drain the water. In this case, 80% of the pesticides disappear, but vitamins also disappear along with them.

Choose vegetables that grow in your climate zone.

All foreign and Exotic fruits just stuffed with chemicals. Manufacturers are forced to do this, otherwise they simply would not arrive in their original form.

In European countries and Asian countries, chemicals are not hesitatingly added to the soil and watered plants extremely big amount fertilizers, preservatives and other chemicals.

The dirtiest plants come to us from Turkey, Holland and Egypt. These countries have bright sunshine, but very infertile soil.

Conclusion

Fruits, vegetables, herbs, root vegetables - all this is an integral part of the diet of all people who want to be healthy and beautiful. But, as you know, when there is demand, there will be supply, so farmers try to grow as many plants as possible and spend as little money and lose goods as possible. In the end, you and I suffer.

I love and study herbal medicine, and also use medicinal plants In my life. I cook tasty, healthy, beautiful and fast food, which I write about on my website.

All my life I've been learning something. Completed courses: Alternative medicine. Modern cosmetology. Secrets of modern kitchen. Fitness and health.