Veggies: to wash or not wash

[Blazin'Jane]

I've been thinking that if I buy organic veggies and leave them with some bits of soil in tact that I would maybe get a little B-12 in me. On the other hand, I wonder if I should worry about whose hands have handled them and that maybe it's better to wash the vegies and look elsewhere for B-12. has anyone else pondered this issue?

[Aleesha Sattva]

people pee and poo and don't wash their hands.

enough said?

[apower2me408]

I wash all my veggies, organic or not. I take a multivitamin.

[rawstrawberry]

I agree with the above.

I watch people all the time in the produce section sneeze and cough into their hands and handle the produce or for that matter sneeze or cough right into it.

Plus think of hands who put it in the box, to the truck and than on the shelf...

Wash LOL

[momma-rawma]

I'm unconventional in my opinion.

I don't wash my produce.

Let me explain.

I cannot be convinced that simply rinsing under water is going to remove any germs that came into contact with the produce. At all.

And short of doing a detox of my fresh fruit and veg in the sink during the week..I just kind of let go and let God..ya know.

U want gross--think about all that is pooping and peeing on your produce while it is still in the ground. All the bugs and what not. It's the circle of life.

The spinach E Coli scare whenever that was--rinsing your produce wouldn't have cleaned it of the E Coli.

It may be gross to you---but really...washing stuff under the tap will not decontaminate it. It just makes you feel better thinking you did something to "clean" it. But if water indeed was sufficient for cleaning--then it would have been sufficient for hygeine many moons back.

Short of doing a rinse to remove any loose particles--water alone doesn't do anything. If water were sufficient--then folks need only "rinse" their hands without soap to be "clean" and that isn't the case.

I haven't perused Alissa's book but have read bits and pieces--I thought I remember reading that you can get B-12 sufficiently while raw...but cannot remember the sources specifically. Also remember reading that if you are 100%--your body gets the nutrients more easily and doesn't require as much of them as a result b/c it can process the smaller amounts just fine.

I will sometimes wash a hard fruit or veg with soap and water. For lettuce--I tend to by lettuce that is already packaged. It has been triple "washed"--translated...they rinsed it three times.

[DavidZaneMason]

Opinion:

-I think if you are REALLY concerned...you CAN grow some of your own greens and herbs in soil and care that YOU oversee. You can then choose to not wash these items if you wish. Bless them - and eat them in good health...and do not worry. ;) As to other people's stuff? Why let such an important basic issue (if b-12) is to you....rest in the production of other people's hands? Just not MY thing.

-David Z. Mason

[Eva]

I'll share what I do in case it's helpful to you in any way...

I haven't been washing much stuff lately. We recently started to get more organic (although definitely not all since some things there is huge discrepancy in price) and I usually don't wash those things. I don't even wash my organic mushrooms that have some soil mixed in. I NEVER get sick anymore, and I'm not stressing about someone having touched my veggies.

When I "wash" the non-organic stuff, I soak it in vinegar for a little while (5 min to an hour depending on when I remember!) and then wash with a veggie wash that's store bought. That does seem to make a big difference in the oily coating on my cucumbers (that's one I get lots of but never organic), so I would think it would remove *some* of the pesticides.

The reason I do it this way is because I'm doing what I can with the nonorganic stuff, but I DO want the bits of soil!!! Just in case that does help with B-12, I want to help my body to be able to produce nice intestinal flora in that way.

I could be wrong. Happens all the time. ;) But it makes plenty of sense to me, so it's what I do... And I definitely don't stress about it. I am just doing what I see as the best considering my resources and what I know. It could change any day!

[Blazin'Jane]

Thanks, all! There is certainly no consensus on the subject, but I think I fall more in line with the thinking of Eva and momma-rawma. I like the whole reminder of the "circle of life!
happy New year to you all! Stay RAW!

[trinity082482]

I dont usually wash them unless i see dirt on lettuce or something :D

[Morn]

I try to wash the produce/fruit that has the wax on it like cucumbers and such in grapefruit seed extract. Other things that are labeled organic and prewashed I don't. Lettuce I simply quickly rinse. I think if you are concerned about getting more B-12 take a supplement it can't hurt you.

[Morn]

I dont usually wash them unless i see dirt on lettuce or something :D

Congrats on your pregnancy!

[rawkchicster]

I don't wash and never have, unless it's not organic (or as stated, I see dirt... lol)

[StarFire]

people pee and poo and don't wash their hands.

enough said?


http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s43/FireStar_830/backingout.gif .... aaaaccckkkkk!!! can we say YUCK!!! :eek:

Okay... I was a 'non washer' of fruits and veggies for many many years.... then... I was given this very wonderful organic veggie wash stuff to try... which I did...

I put just a few drops into some purified water. The veggies I was washing looked perfectly clean - couldn't see anything on them! so - I wanted to see just was going to 'come off of these veggies'... well... OMG was I ever shocked....

so - I wash all of my veggies and fruit now -- but not just with tap water - I use this organic veggie rinse and purified water. I also take a B complex supplement. If I want to eat dirt - I will go to my land where I KNOW the soil is organic - and nibble on that! ;)

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s43/FireStar_830/Flwr07.gif

[crystalmoon]

Hi there, I dont wash my organic produce. Ive been at a raw food seminar where we were told that B12 can be gained from some soil on veg.

Im abit concerned about the prewashed salads people mentioned...Im not sure what happens in the USA but in England it is washed in nasty mega strength chlorine, much stronger than swimming pool water so it is really unhealthy.

[greenday]

B12 dirt aside...in our day and age of global food transportation, you really don't know WHERE the stuff has been :confused: or WHO'S filthy little fingers have touched it :eek: ...so my inclination is to WASH. Veggie wash is best, water is better than nothing. My thinking is this - we are working hard to detoxify our bodies every day so why add more bacteria and germs to our bodies than necessary if there's a simple way to reduce it? Even "organic" these days is pretty darn commercialized...if you grow it or know/trust the source then maybe it's ok. I dunno....I still wash. :o

[juliebove]

I always wash! I worked on a farm picking cucumbers. Horrible work and there is no running water out in the fields. Just outhouses. Also, you don't know if an animal peed or pooped on your produce.