Fruits and Vegetables
It’s important to remember to wash your produce before you consume them. Fruits and vegetables are known to have residue of the pesticides used in growing them. Jerzy Górecki / Pixabay

Blogger Krzy Uy has always prided herself as being healthy by eating clean. However, it is important to remember that before we “eat clean,” the proper food preparation must be observed.

After admitting that she was still a newbie to the entire thing, Uy had to learn the hard way why you should always wash any fruits and vegetables you will be eating.

According to the blogger's latest post, she felt horrible after drinking a smoothie before eating dinner.

“Yesterday, I was feeling all sorts of terrible. I drank half of a smoothie I made before dinner and then woke up every hour in the middle of the night because my stomach was so painful," she wrote.

"In the morning, I finished the rest of my smoothie only to puke it all out hour after hour. Turns out I poisoned myself with my own smoothie! I’m feeling so much better now (special thanks to hubs, my mom and my sisters for the emotional and digestive support) but thought I should warn you guys about this too. Raw veggies are apparently filled with dangerous pesticides! I’m a newbie in the kitchen so I gather I mustn’t have washed mine very well. Taking this as a lesson, and hopefully you will too! Save yourself and mind what you eat!” she concluded.

In the post, the blogger mentioned that she learned raw vegetables are filled with dangerous pesticide residue and that since she was a newbie, she must not have washed the ones she used very well. She then called for people to learn from her mistakes as she did not want anyone to go through what she did.

Usually, the produce you buy still has residue of the pesticides used while growing them. This is why it is so important to clean your fruits and veggies before you consume them.

According to Erin MacGregor, a dietitian, safe consumption of produce starts by thoroughly washing them under cool tap water. It’s important to note that you must not wash them with any soap, detergent, or other commercial products as simply tap water is needed. Doing so gets rid of any leftover pesticides that could cause harm to your health.

Additionally, studies show that it is better to wash your fruits and vegetables under running water, rather than just soaking them as the former is a more effective way of ridding your produce of pesticides. After you’ve thoroughly cleaned them, they should be safe to use.

Here’s a list of produce that are usually high in pesticide residue, or more commonly known as "The Dirty Dozen," so be sure to clean the following thoroughly.

  1. Strawberries
  2. Spinach
  3. Kale
  4. Nectarines
  5. Apples
  6. Grapes
  7. Peaches
  8. Cherries
  9. Pears
  10. Tomatoes
  11. Celery
  12. Potatoes