Removing Chemicals from Your Foods
Some people came to my inbox after reading my post on how pesticides and herbicides are destroying our health. They wanted to know how best to navigate the situation.
If you live in a country with very weak food regulatory frameworks, and where enforcements are structurally incapacitated, you have to do your best to protect yourself and your family.
Yes, we know that one thing must kpai a man, but until you appreciate the fact that “all die no be die” you won’t understand. Until you experience, or witness cases where families expended everything they have both cash and assets to take care of a sick loved one who eventually dies, leaving them in an inexplicable quandary, you won’t understand.
You may not also understand why some people heave a deep sigh of relief when a loved one passes on after being bedridden for years. One sick person in a family equals a sick family both physically, financially, materially and even spiritually.
The chemicals farmers use during cultivation do not disappear after doing their jobs.
They behave like some mischievous deities that destroy the lives they were summoned to destroy, and start prancing around for more lives to destroy.
They build estates in the soils, and find their ways even into root crops while those sprayed on crops sip into vegetables.
As if that was not enough, when these crops are harvested and stored, the contamination persists.
The sellers continue the dance of death with the use of chemical preservatives; combined with poor storage practices, further introducing toxins, with grains often stored in conditions that promote contamination.
For us all, we are faced with the Hobbsian choice of a cocktail of toxins linked to severe health issues. And the farmers are not even safe from their own practices.
A significant number of farmers report health issues related to agro-chemical exposure.
The long-term effects are even more alarming, including cancers, liver and kidney damage, and even death. Unfortunately, without stringent enforcement, the very food meant to sustain life is becoming a source of chronic disease for millions of Nigerians.
This is not imperialists doing us. It is us against us.
So what should we do?
While we advise people to eat healthy, we are not oblivious of the fact that most conventional fruits and vegetables are coated in a chemical cocktail.
Pesticides and herbicides from glyphosate to organophosphates, all designed to kill pests and weeds, but they don’t disappear at harvest. These synthetic toxins linger on our food as well as the soil.
These chemicals have been linked to hormone disruptions causing escalation of various health issues from infertility, kidney and liver problems, prostatitis, fibrosis, neurodevelopmental issues in children, and an increased risk of certain cancers amongst others.
But we cannot run away from these foods as the alternatives are even more deadly thus we should try our best to make our foods safer through practical cleansing methods that may help reduce the chemicals to safer levels.
While a quick rinse under tap water is better than nothing, it is largely ineffective against oil-soluble pesticides that are designed to resist rain.
I want to share some of the most effective, science-backed methods to significantly reduce or remove chemical residues before you cook or eat these foods, with the hope that it would help someone.
The Saltwater Soak
Research from the University of Massachusetts suggests that a 10% saltwater solution (1 part salt to 9 parts water) is remarkably effective. Soak your produce for 15 to 20 minutes.
The saline solution breaks down the pesticide molecules and draws them out through the product’s skin.
But the warning here is that if you exceed 20 minutes, the salt will begin to reverse the process and push the chemicals back into the product. Rinse thoroughly under cold running water afterward.
The Baking Soda and Water Wash
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is a mild alkaline substance that accelerates the breakdown of pesticides like thiabendazole and phosmet.
For hard-skinned produce like apples and cucumbers, sprinkle them with baking soda, rub gently, and rinse. For soft berries, soak in a bowl with a teaspoon of baking soda for 12-15 minutes.
White Vinegar Soak
Mix one part white vinegar with three parts water. Soak your vegetables for 15 minutes. The acetic acid helps dissolve the waxy coatings that trap pesticides.
This is particularly effective for leafy greens like kale and lettuce. However, you must avoid vinegar on fragile fruits like berries, as it can damage their texture.
The Physical Scrub
For root vegetables such as Potatoes, Carrots and thick-skinned fruits like Melons, and Oranges, peeling is the most absolute way to remove surface residues.
If you prefer to eat the skin, use a stiff-bristled brush under a high-pressure stream of water to physically abrade the chemicals away
For Grains like Rice
For grains like Rice, washing with a vinegar solution (my best option) is most effective across multiple rice types. Also, using lemon juice or baking soda may be the considered alternatives.
Hot Water Washing
Using hot water (around 40°C) is highly effective as it removes between 55% to 97% of certain residues from rice .
Vigorous Rubbing
Physically rubbing the grains during washing (especially the 2nd and 3rd washes) helps dislodge some of the surface residues too.
Pre-Soaking
Soaking rice for 30 minutes after washing and before cooking significantly boosts pesticide removal .
Extended Cooking
Cooking, especially after washing and soaking, is a crucial final step that can eliminate up to 95% of remaining residues.
For Beans
Beans are arguably one of the healthiest foods on planet earth. It is the single food that appeared on the menu of all six of the Blue Zones where people live the longest in the world.
The way and manner sellers of beans store the products in Nigeria are quite hazardous so you must play your part to make them safer to eat.
To safely remove both pesticide residues and naturally occurring toxins from beans, the most effective method is a combination of soaking, rinsing, and boiling.
Rinse Thoroughly
Place dried beans in a colander and rinse under running water, rubbing them with your hands to dislodge surface dirt and some pesticide residues.
Soak Overnight
Soak them in plenty of water for at least 12 hours (overnight). Discard the soaking water and rinse the beans again with fresh water. This removes water-soluble pesticides and toxins that leach out during soaking.
Boil Vigorously
This is quite crucial because boiling is the most critical step for safety. It is the most effective method for removing chemical residues of up to 92% and the only way to destroy harmful lectins especially in red kidney beans.
While soaking beans reduces lectins but doesn’t eliminate them; boiling is essential.
Soak With Lemon
Soaking beans with lemon juice adds acid to the water which helps break down the outer cell walls of the beans. This makes the beans soften faster, and cuts down cooking time, and it also makes it healthier as it breaks down stubborn sugars (oligosaccharides) that lead to gas and bloating.
Moreso, the acid from the lemon helps draw out surface residues or unwanted tastes from the chemicals used as preservatives, and it has been found that soaking keeps the beans intact so they do not burst or turn mushy when boiled.
healthyeating #healthyliving #HealthyChoices #healthylifestyle
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