They say that illness enters through the mouth, and in the face of various tempting delicacies, the habit of "if it looks good, just eat it" can cause people to overlook the importance of washing. As a result, bacteria and viruses are brought into our bodies, and we can never see or touch them, never knowing how much bacteria and viruses we have consumed.
Common Methods for Cleaning Fruits and Vegetables
Some people eat a regular dish at a restaurant and are fine, while others experience vomiting and diarrhea. Why is this? It's because everyone has a different constitution and varying levels of immunity. The stronger the immune system, the better equipped it is to fight off bacteria and viruses. Besides strengthening our immune system, we should also learn how to clean the food we eat.
Eating healthily starts with cleaning thoroughly!
Cleaning Meat
When washing chicken or pork, studies have found that they are prone to infections from Campylobacter and Salmonella bacteria. It is therefore best to develop the habit of soaking raw meat in clean water for 20 minutes before carefully cleaning it. When washing, you can use water that has been rinsed with rice, washing it twice, and then rinsing with clean water.
Thoroughly Cleaning Vegetables
For vegetables such as spinach, bok choy, and rapeseed, you can soak them in water for disinfection, or add a small amount of specialized vegetable cleaner to the water, soaking them before filtering with clean water.
For edible flowers such as daylily and garlic chives, you can rinse them in a sink while draining the water, and then soak them in salt water to remove as much pesticide residue as possible.
For stem vegetables such as carrots and potatoes, it is best to completely peel off the skin, avoiding leaving any skin behind, and then rinse with water, which can effectively remove pesticide residue.
Cleverly Cleaning Fruits
When cleaning fruits, we usually rinse them under the tap for a few seconds, but for a more thorough cleaning, it is recommended to rinse with clean water for 1-2 minutes. Here are some tips for cleaning different fruits.
Strawberries
Many people suffer from diarrhea because they don't clean strawberries thoroughly. To clean them, you can first rinse with tap water for a few minutes to remove surface contaminants, then soak them in a weak saltwater or rice water solution for three minutes to break down pesticides, and finally rinse with clean water.
Peaches
To clean peaches, you can wet them with water, then rub some salt on the surface, gently scrub, soak them in water for a while, and then rinse with clean water. This will remove the fuzz and pesticides from the surface of the peaches.
Grapes
To remove the white frost and adhering soil from the surface of grapes, you can cut off the grapes and put them in water, being careful not to cut off the stems. Then add two tablespoons of flour or starch, toss them back and forth, and finally rinse with water. The stickiness of the flour and starch will prevent dirt from escaping.
