Do you want to avoid the risk of pesticide residues on your fruits and vegetables but can’t afford organic food? Here are the safer alternatives

A few weeks ago, the portal health with magnifying glass posted a investigation in l showed that fruits and vegetables from Supermarkets in Lima and Callao had the presence of 36 pesticides in amounts unfit for human consumption, due to their potential health damage. Ideally, we would all eat organic vegetables, but we know that this is not possible, due to price and access, which is why in this article we teach you how to try to reduce agrochemicals from our fruits and vegetables.

According to what the investigation revealed, these agrochemicals found in fruits and vegetables exceed the limits set by Peruvian sanitary regulations by up to 249 times and are potentially harmful to human health, since, for example, they could cause damage to the central nervous system, alter the hormonal balance or cause cancer.

While the National Agrarian Health Service of Peru (SENASA) plans strategies to prevent them from exceeding and using pesticides that can harm human health, we offer you some recommendations to do at home and reduce the agrochemicals in your food. It is worth mentioning that none of them will give us 100% security, but it will help to reduce:

Wash with plenty of water

Until now, washing fruits and vegetables with plenty of water and letting it run is one of the techniques to eliminate agrochemicals that many researchers have studied, however, each mention that the reduction of pesticide residues will vary according to some physicochemical characteristics of the pesticide, the type of washing, the solubility in water of the pesticide and the mode of action. No washing method is 100% effective in removing all pesticide residues.

Some studies suggest that washing contributes substantially to reducing consumer exposure to pesticides, and the National Pesticide Information Clearinghouse indicates that ideally washing and rubbing produce under running water is better than submerging it in water.

Some additional recommendations from the National Pesticide Information Center are: wash fruits and vegetables even if you do not plan to eat the peel; washing hands with soap and warm water before and after handling fresh fruits and vegetables; and hold the fruit or vegetable under running water in a colander. This removes more pesticide than dipping the product. Additionally, he recommends brushing firm produce like melons and potatoes with a clean brush; rub soft items like grapes while holding them under running water to remove residue; and place fragile fruits and vegetables like berries in a colander and swirl it around while gently spraying with water.

A recent study published in the Journal of Food and Feed Science indicates that washing with tap water is the easiest way to reduce pesticide residues on produce. Pesticide residues can be reduced by 22-60% with various washing processesthe lower or higher effectiveness is due to whether the pesticide is soluble in water or has penetrated into the tissues of fruits and vegetables.

Years before, another study published in The Journal of Food Science and Technology (JFST) mentions that the most effective and convenient alternative could be washing with chlorinated water for between 1 to 3 minutes depending on the food product, and the percentage of pesticide removal will depend depending on the pesticide used on the plant.

Some people use detergents or disinfectants to wash fruits and vegetables, however, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)) it is not recommended to wash fruits and vegetables with soapdetergent or Commercial products . They have not been shown to be more effective than plain water and since fruits and vegetables are porous, they can get into the pulp.

Peel fruits and vegetables

Although some pesticides can enter the pulp of fruits and vegetables, many remain in the peel, which is why a recommendation – in addition to washing with plenty of water under the tap– is to peel them.

The US National Pesticide Information Center recommends that products that can be fought should be fought. For example, peaches, apple, tomato, carrots, among others.

Studies have shown that peeling root vegetables such as potatoes can reduce 91 to 98% of the pesticide Chlorpyrifos, while peeling tomatoes can reduce up to 77% of Procymidone and doing the same with eggplants can help reduce 85% of Chlorpyrifos .

There are also vegetables that are impossible to fight, such is the case of vegetables that have leaves, such as lettuce, kale, chard and spinach. In these cases, the recommendation will be to discard the outer leaves.

soak and cook

Some culinary techniques such as soaking and cooking already had evidence that they help reduce antinutrients typical of legumes and whole grains, and I hope it improves their bioavailability and absorption. A group of researchers recently published in Foods magazine that there are ways to reduce the pesticides from bok choy and long beans.

The study shows that in the case of Chinese cabbage, pesticide residues were reduced by 18-71% after boiling these vegetables, 36-100% after blanching, and 25-60% after sauteing For long beans, pesticide residues were reduced by 38-100% after boiling, 27-28% after blanching, and 35-63% after sautéing .

Another study published this year suggests the same thing: a combination of processes, such as soaking, peeling and boiling, has a reducing effect on pesticide residues. Although it is necessary to continue studying, it is a start and they are simple techniques that can be done on a day-to-day basis.

Diversify fruits and vegetables

If we eat the same fruits and vegetables every day, we may always be exposed to the same agrochemical residues. That is why it is suggested to diversify the fruits and vegetables we eat to reduce exposure. Although the research that recently came out worried us and even many people preferred not to eat them anymore, fruits and vegetables are essential for good health. Let’s put into practice the techniques that have been backed by science and eat vegetables without fear, while we hope that the health organizations of our country can have a better control of pesticides in food.