We all know that fruits and vegetables about grown in various places and under different conditions depending on the geographical location. Some fruits and vegetables are grown on trees while other are grown in the ground. Despite it source, all fruits and vegetables need to be properly washed before juicing and consuming.
Proper to juicing, I used a four step wash process.
Step 1 - Vegetable Wash
Vegetable wash is used to remove pesticides, dirt, wax, and other unknown particles proper to consuming.
Step 2 - Baking Soda Bath
Baking soda is another way to remove pesticides and dirt. Dr. Lili He, lead author at the University of Massachusetts, said, “Pesticide residues may remain on agricultural produce, where they contribute to the total dietary intake of pesticides. Concerns about potential hazards of pesticides to food safety and human health have increased, and therefore, it is desirable to reduce these residues.” Thus, baking can remove up to 96% of pesticides according to research and experiments.
Step 3 - Vinegar Bath
The Vinegar Bath is used to kill additional bacteria on fruits and vegetables. Upon additional research, I found a study in the “Journal of Food Protection” published in 2013, which found that washing fruits and vegetables in vinegar reduce salmonella on the skin versus rinsing with only water. Furthermore, Jack Bishop, editor of “Cooks Illustrated,” conducted an experiment that revealed 98% of bacteria was killed on the skin of fruits and vegetables after washing it in a vinegar bath. Needless to say, vinegar is definitely an important part of having cleaned food.
Step 4 - Rinse
The Rinse step is to make sure any excess dirt or vegetable wash, baking soda, and vinegar is rinsed down the drain.
So, now that you know my process of washing fruits and vegetables, next time you go in a restaurant or food establishment and they crack open a bag of spinach or kale, or they don’t properly wash their produce, remember the amount of pesticides and bacteria you can potentially consume.
Rest assured, that Vegan Juiceology, using properly cleansed produce in all cold pressed juices.