Vitamins Or Toxins?

Eating vegetables and fruits increases the immune properties of the body and allows you to resist diseases. But what to do if they are treated with toxic substances? How are berries stored and how to wash them so as not to be poisoned by chemicals? How are potatoes, apples, grapes and greens treated?

Vegetables and fruits are the main suppliers of fiber, which plays an important role in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, the normalization of fat metabolism, and the removal of cholesterol from the body. Eating vegetables and fruits increases the immune properties of the body and allows you to resist diseases. Many fruits and berries are successfully used in medical diets.

Nutritionists recommend eating at least 3-4 servings (a serving is one fruit or one cup of vegetable salad) of vegetables and fruits per day.

According to the rules of healthy eating, you should eat vegetables and fruits mainly in their raw form. Therefore, try to take into account the season (time of year) and place of growth when choosing food.

Fruit and berry vitamins are perfectly absorbed by the body. They reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood. Cholesterol enters the body with animal food and is produced by the liver. There is no cholesterol in vegetable food, but it contains pectin, which helps remove cholesterol.

Summer vegetables and fruits contain especially a lot of moisture, which saves from thirst and hunger. It is a very healthy food, but almost all fruits undergo various treatments, to increase the shelf life or to stimulate ripening, so it is not surprising that they contain chemicals that are dangerous for our bodies.

 

How to store berries

Black and red currants, blackberries, raspberries, gooseberries, and blueberries are cooled to the freezing point immediately after collection, after which they are placed in a controlled atmosphere. In such conditions, they can be stored from two weeks to two months. However, in some countries, berries are irradiated, which allows you to extend the shelf life for another week. These technologies have been known and popular for a hundred years and are widely used in China and the USA. Of course, we are talking about microdoses, but there is no evidence yet that it is safe for humans in the long term. Without artificial cooling and special means, berries are stored for no more than 12 hours. Exceptions are lingonberries and cranberries, they can be stored from 10 months to a year in barrels with clean cold water or simply in the refrigerator.

How are potatoes processed?

It undergoes multiple processing. It begins in the field, where potatoes are treated with various chemicals against pests and diseases. But pre-sale processing takes place mainly closer to spring, the purpose of which is to suppress the processes of awakening and germination of tubers. For this, non-toxic or low-toxic drugs are used, but the most effective remedy for germination is exposure to weak doses of radiation.

Pears

It is usually treated with antiseptics for storage, most often it is the drug Pra-long - a mixture of fatty acid esters and polysaccharides, judging by the composition, it should be harmless.

Apples

Can be treated with a mixture of wax, paraffin and sorbic acid. Sorbic acid is a preservative, suppresses the development of microflora (by the way, it will do the same thing in your intestines, which can eventually lead to dysbacteriosis, at least). That is why some apples look as if they have just been taken off the branch. Can be stored with such processing for up to one year. If the apples are sticky to the touch, it means that they have been treated with diphenyl. It is clear that eating such apples with the skin is harmful, and vitamins are lost without it.

Citrus fruits

Treated with wax and fungicides. Of the fungicides, diphenyl is most often used. Diphenyl has no smell, color or taste, so people cannot notice and often do not wash the fruit before removing the skin. And that's why it appears on the fingers, and enters the body together with the fruit that is eaten. Which is not good, since diphenyl is considered a moderately toxic substance and, among other things, is prohibited for use in Europe and the USA as a carcinogen. If you use the peel and peel of citrus fruits in your diet, this is another reason to wash the fruit thoroughly.

Many mass-produced dried fruits are treated with sulfur dioxide, a toxic inorganic compound that is used as a preservative and helps the fruit retain its original color.

Grape

It is quite difficult to preserve grapes, therefore, during transportation and storage, potassium metabisulfite tablets are used, they are spread evenly on the bottom of boxes under paper. In the air, these tablets release sulfur gas, an antiseptic and antioxidant, which smokes the grapes. Also, paper packaging can be treated with fungicides (a group of pesticides for fighting fungi), which allows to reduce losses by five times. Therefore, wash the grapes very carefully.

To destroy pests, the fruits are treated with methyl bromide before being sent for export. Fruits are also usually treated with sulfur gas or fungicides that prevent the appearance of mold. Fruits are treated with a thin layer of paraffin or wax. This not only gives the fruit an appetizing glossy shine, but also allows you to store it for almost a year. It is impossible to wash off the wax coating by simply rinsing with tap water. It is necessary to brush it with a brush under hot water, preferably with soap, for at least a few minutes. In dried apricots without chemicals, molds quickly form, in small quantities they are not visible. Therefore, dried apricots and raisins, which are sold in stores and on the market, are usually treated with sulfur gas before being put on sale, so that they do not spoil for a long time.

Sulfur gas effect on the body:

Sulfur dioxide is a toxic gas. Even a small concentration can lead to inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, provoke coughing, wheezing or runny nose. Further exposure leads to pain during swallowing, speech defects, vomiting and shortness of breath. Damage to the lung tissue does not make itself felt immediately, but only a day or two after the penetration of gas into the organs. Although the concentration of this gas on processed vegetables and fruits is not so great, it still remains dangerous for life.

The harm of the food preservative E230 Biphenyl (diphenyl) is that dangerous substances that are part of the food additive can provoke the emergence and development of malignant cancerous growths.

In warehouses for storing vegetables and fruits, treatments against rodents, insects, and fungi are regularly carried out. Fortunately, most of the substances used to treat fruits do not penetrate inside, but remain on the surface.

How to wash fruits and vegetables so as not to be afraid of pesticides

 

Apples

When choosing these fruits, try them to the touch. If you feel that they are sticky, they are treated with diphenyl for long-term storage. In the European Union and the USA, diphenyl is banned due to its strong carcinogenic and allergenic properties. Fruits treated with diphenyl should be peeled.

Cabbage

Remove the top leaves and cut the cob.

Potato

In potatoes, all nitrates are collected under the skin and in the core, so it is necessary to drain the water after the potatoes have boiled. Most of the chemicals are released during cooking, and much less during frying.

Lettuce, parsley, dill and other greens

In these products, the most nitrates accumulate in veins and petioles. Greens absorb nitrates very actively, which means it is better to soak them in water for an hour before adding them to dishes.

Grape

Wash well enough.

Tomatoes

The thicker their skin, the more chemistry they have. Never buy orange-red tomatoes. White pulp and thick veins are a signal of high nitrate content. If you bought such tomatoes, soak them for 1 hour in cold water.