How to wash fruits and veggies when pregnant

Hi there!

Today I'm sharing a super simple DIY you can make from just two ingredients I'm almost certain you have in your kitchen - water and white vinegar.

If you've read any pregnancy books or food safety articles online, you've probably been admonished to "thoroughly wash all produce" more times than you can count. That's because as healthful as fruit and veggies are, they can harbor not so healthful bacteria, viruses, and fungi. All of which could make you and your baby sick.

Fortunately, cleaning produce is not difficult to do at all. Honestly, a thorough rinsing with clean water, followed by drying with a clean paper towel is pretty darn effective for most produce. But there's something even more effective.

A simple mixture of 3 parts water and 1 part vinegar kills more of the bacteria found on the surface of produce than water alone.

Keep reading to learn more about how to make your own fruit and veggie wash.

Gather the Ingredients

All you'll need is a measuring cup or measuring spoons, clean water, white vinegar, and a spray bottle.

Now for the Instructions

For every 1 part vinegar you add to your spray bottle, add in 3x that amount in water. That's it.

If you're using a 1/2 cup of vinegar, you'll add in 1 1/2 cups of water (1/2 x3=1 1/2). This will make 16 oz of produce wash.

If you're using 1/4 cup of vinegar, you'll add in 3/4 cup of water (1/4 x 3=3/4). This will give you 8 oz of produce wash.

Now, whenever you need to clean produce you can just spray it, rinse it with clean water, then dry it with a clean paper towel.

You can also fill a clean basin or bowl with it if you're washing leafy greens or have veggies with a lot of grooves, nooks, and crannies like carrots or cauliflower. Place them in the basin and let them soak for a minute or two. Scrub with a clean vegetable brush, if necessary. Then rinse and dry. Voila! Clean produce.

Don't forget to clean your produce before you cut it or peel, even if you won't be eating the peel or rind.

Remember, following safe food handling practices is one more thing you can do to keep you and your wee one safe and healthy.

Be well,

Kendra

• Sometimes, raw fruits and vegetables contain harmful germs that can make you and your family sick, such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria.
• The safest produce to eat is cooked; the next safest is washed.
• Wash fruits and vegetables under running water—even if you do not plan to eat the peel.

Eating a diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables gives many health benefits. But it’s important to select and prepare them safely.

Fruits and vegetables add nutrients to your diet that help protect you from heart disease, stroke, and some cancers. Also, choosing vegetables, fruits, and nuts over high-calorie foods can help you manage your weight.

Sometimes, raw fruits and vegetables contain harmful germs that can make you and your family sick, such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria. CDC estimates that germs on fresh produce cause a large percentage of foodborne illnesses in the United States.

The safest produce to eat is cooked; the next safest is washed. You can enjoy uncooked fruits and vegetables by taking the following steps to reduce your risk of foodborne illness, also known as food poisoning.

Download CDC’s printable poster: Steps to Safe and Healthy Fruits & Vegetables pdf icon[PDF – 1 MB].

• Choose produce that isn’t bruised or damaged.
• If you buy pre-cut fruits and vegetables choose items that are refrigerated or kept on ice.
• Separate fruits and vegetables from raw meat, poultry, and seafood in your shopping cart and in your grocery bags.

• Wash your hands, kitchen utensils, and food preparation surfaces, including chopping boards and countertops, before and after preparing fruits and vegetables.
• Clean fruits and vegetablesexternal icon before eating, cutting, or cooking, unless the package says the contents have been washed.
  • Wash or scrub fruits and vegetables under running water—even if you do not plan to eat the peel. Germs on the peel or skin can get inside fruits and vegetables when you cut them.
  • Washing fruits and vegetables with soap, detergent, or commercial produce wash is not recommendedexternal icon. Do not use bleach solutionsexternal icon or other disinfecting products on fruits and vegetables.
  • Cut away any damaged or bruised areas before preparing or eating.
  • Dry fruit or vegetables with a clean paper towel.
• Keep fruits and vegetables separate from raw foods that come from animals, such as meat, poultry, and seafood.
• Refrigerate fruits and vegetables within 2 hours after you cut, peel, or cook them (or 1 hour if exposed to temperatures above 90°, like a hot car or picnic). Chill them at 40°F or colder in a clean container.

Anyone can get food poisoning, but people in certain groups are more likely to get sick and to have a more serious illness. These groups are:

• Adults aged 65 and older
• Children younger than age 5
• People who have health problems or take medicines that lower the body’s ability to fight germs and sickness (weakened immune system)—for example, people with diabetes, liver or kidney disease, HIV, or cancer
• Pregnant people

If you or someone you care for has a greater chance of getting food poisoning, it’s especially important to take steps to prevent it when preparing fruits and vegetables.

Cook sprouts thoroughly to reduce the risk of illness. Eating raw or lightly cooked sprouts may lead to food poisoning. That’s because the warm, humid conditions needed to grow sprouts also are ideal for germs to multiply. It’s especially important to avoid raw sprouts if you are in a group more likely to get seriously sick from food poisoning: older adults, young children, people with weakened immune systems, and pregnant people.

Sprouts: What You Should Knowexternal icon

I just got back from this morning's Farmer's Market. It is so uplifting to see all the fresh produce out on the tables. I love being in the midst of so many great fruits and vegetables, smelling the fresh herbs, seeing all the colors and imagining how wonderful that produce will taste in my new recipes. It is good seeing children working with their parents, telling me about their gardens and learning how to make change.

Aside from the ambiance, one of the reasons I like shopping at the farmer's market is the opportunity to ask the growers directly, "How do you raise this?" What fertilizers do you use? Do you spray? What products do you use? How recently have you sprayed?

Pregnancy is a time when many women (and their partners) think about pesticides on fruits and vegetables. Are they dangerous to our unborn child? Does washing the produce do any good? Should I use some type of special wash? Should I buy organic? Is it worth it?

Here is help in making informed decisions.

Baby may be more susceptible to pesticides than Mom (or any adult), especially at critical times of development. There are several reasons for this.

Because baby's immature body is much less able to detoxify substances than adults, baby can be harmed by things that would not harm an adult. You are already aware of this concept with the recommendation that pregnant women should not drink alcohol; an amount that would be perfectly safe for the woman may be harmful to baby.

Water makes up a much higher percentage of baby's body weight than of mom's. Many pesticides are water based, therefore babies experience a higher level of pesticides per body weight.

Some pesticides may interfere with absorption of certain nutrients, which could impact baby's growth or development.

Some families choose to strictly buy organic produce during pregnancy. However, organic produce may not be available in all areas or may be too expensive. It is possible to minimize pesticide exposure even if you can not buy organic produce.

An environmental working group analyzed more than 100,000 government pesticide test results and came up with "The Dirty Dozen" - produce that consistently had the highest pesticide residue, even after washing. If you can only buy some organic produce, buying these items (or growing your own!) will decrease your pesticide exposure the most.

What were some of the best? The environmental working group calls these the "Clean 15." (You might still choose to buy organic, but statistically these fruits and veggies are low in pesticides regardless of an organic label.)

If you want to check food that isn't listed here, the complete list is available at http://www.foodnews.org/

What about washes to remove pesticides that are present?

Some pesticide residues are not removed by washing but others are. Correct washing can certainly help. You don't need fancy veggie washes. Recent research found that rinsing under plain tap water for at least 30 seconds significantly reduces residues of nine of the twelve pesticides studied. Even some of the non-water soluble pesticides were significantly decreased. This is probably because of the mechanical action of the water.Veggies washes did not remove more of the pesticides than plain water. This study did not look at removing dirt or waxes, but the washes could be of help with these.

Fruits and vegetables are good for you and for baby – but buy carefully and rinse them well.

Nourish yourself and your child!