Learn how to get the most out of your fruit and vegetables and avoid pesticide risks during Ramadan.
With Ramadan here, the change in eating patterns can mean that you devote more attention than normal to nutrition, ensuring that you are partaking of the optimum benefits of the food you eat.
When it comes to fruits and vegetables, much of the nutritional debate is focused on how we should eat them. For instance, in vegetables there are many types that can be cooked in their skins and some which have to be peeled before cooking.
In fruits too, many varieties need to be peeled, while other kinds can be eaten with their skins on.
According to nutritional experts, vegetables and fruits have their densest concentration of vitamins and beneficial compounds in the skin or close to the skin and by skinning them, we lose many of the benefits.
Making this issue more contentious is the fact that modern-day farming necessitates the use of pesticides to grow our food.
How to get rid of pesticide residue?
If you want a fully pesticide-free fruit or vegetable, buy organic.
Smart tip:
Choose fruits and vegetables from their native lands. For a fruit or vegetable to be grown in a non-native land, it usually requires fertiliser and pesticide support.
For instance, India and the Philippines are known for their banana cultivation.
Rinsing techniques
Simple rinsing is not enough to rid many fruits of pesticide residue as rinsing alone does not wash away all residue.
1. Soak vegetables in 90/10 parts water to vinegar proportion for 20 minutes, stirring the bowl occasionally and then wash produce in cold running tap water, gently scrubbing the surface for solid residues.
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