Eating conventionally grown produce — you know, the regular fruits and vegetables you see at the market — that has been sterilized, irradiated and washed with bleach sounds a lil’ scary to me.
I’m no farmer, and I’m no molecular scientist, but I do know it doesn’t sound right to touch our lips to foods that have touched ammonia.
I don’t think it’s crazy that some people wash their triple washed greens, just to be extra safe.
My skepticism of how we grow and get our food led me to my longtime love of organics.
Lately I’ve been getting questions about how important it is to wash our organic produce, so I’m tackling that today. {Tweet this}
Personally, I buy organic produce and products as much as possible.
There are antioxidant benefits in organics that conventional produce doesn’t share, but even if that wasn’t the case, we know organic is better for the earth and I try to do my part to take care of mamma nature as much as a city girl can.
None of us like to think about it too much, but if you’re up on the news, you know that eating unwashed, organic produce may be carrying traces of pesticides from warehouses and wind drift, bacteria from insects and harvesting and even food borne illnesses that could cause long lasting damage to your health.
You also know that one benefit to eating organically is that some of the friendly bacteria found in organic soil is really good for promoting healthy gastrointestinal flora.
Hmmmm. Conundrum. So should you wash your organic produce?
The short answer is yes.
Roll up your sleeves and spend the extra few givin’ a little scrub a dub to your grapes in the tub.
Wash all of your produce in cold water to get rid of the soil, microbes and pesticides that may be clinging to them. Those bad boys are known to do some damage and can make you pretty sick.
Even organic produce can become contaminated with pesticides — the regulations for organic only covers how the produce is grown, and cross contamination can happen through wind drift from conventional farms nearby, in transport, storage, and bins at the markets.
If your veggies aren’t cleaning up with H2O alone, you can use a little white vinegar and give a gentle rub to really do the trick.
There is a big renaissance movement towards going out of your way to eat organic dirt, as it is touted for organic compounds and minerals believed to support digestion, immunity and well being.
It may sound gross, and I’d be hard pressed to find gourmet soil served up at the best 5 star restaurants, but all the other animals in nature eat it, and it doesn’t seem too far fetched to think human nature could benefit from a little soil in our otherwise sterile diets.
If our food is too clean, and our GI tracts aren’t introduced to some friendly bacteria, our immune systems suffer.
So, a little “clean and organic” dirt is actually a good thing. {Tweet this}
You’ll have to decide for yourself peops. For me, it’s washed organics, but if I’m pickin’ organic strawberries, apples or grapes, and there’s no sink in sight, I’ll tell myself it’s OK to eat ‘em dirty. It may even be good for me!