Fruit, is an indispensable part of our daily diet, it not only tastes good, but also rich in vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber and other substances, can supplement the nutrition needed by the body, promote metabolism, enhance immunity. Especially in the spring, the temperature warms up, everything grows, and a large number of fruits are freshly listed...
But now there are more and more rumors about fruits: waxing, and pesticides, it is inevitable that there will be residues, eating it will endanger health, and even feel that some "new varieties" of fruits are mutated... Are these claims true or false? How to deal with the fruit in order to eat more safely and securely?
First, the fruit grows bright is waxed? Carcinogenic?
When visiting the fruit shop, we can always see some fruits with a slight luster on the surface and look very fresh. But there are rumors that such fruits are waxed and even carcinogenic, and must not be purchased. Is this really the case? not necessarily!
1, some fruits, born with "fruit wax"
Apples and other fruits, when growing, will secrete a layer of natural fruit wax, which can not only prevent toxic and harmful substances, bacteria, viruses and other pathogens from entering the fruit, but also resist the damage caused by environmental changes to the fruit. Therefore, this natural fruit wax is harmless to the human body.
2, artificial consumption of wax, fresh and insect-proof
In fact, waxing fruit is an internationally allowed method of preservation, with mature processes and regulations. According to China's "Health Standards for the Use of Food Additives", the wax used on the fruit must be edible wax, and the raw materials are mainly from natural colloids such as gum, beeswax, shellac, etc., which are harmless to the human body and are not difficult to clean.
Waxing can make the appearance of the fruit more shiny, but more importantly to reduce the evaporation of water, to preserve the fruit; at the same time, it can also form a plant protective layer on the surface of the fruit, effectively preventing external microorganisms from invading the pulp, playing a protective role in preservative and insect-proof. Generally, after using artificial edible wax, the fruit can be stored for about 15 days.
Therefore, for normal fruit waxing, there is no need to be too resistant.
3, the real prevention is the "industrial wax", a way to refuse harm
Some unscrupulous traders may use industrial wax in order to reduce costs or add color to non-fresh fruits. Industrial waxes are derived from mineral oil, often contain heavy metals such as lead and mercury, and easily penetrate the peel and even the pulp. Therefore, after a large amount of consumption, it may cause symptoms such as mercury poisoning and lead poisoning, which will seriously damage the health of the body and even endanger life.
Therefore, consumers should be wary of industrial waxes. When selecting waxed fruit, you can wipe the surface of the fruit with your hand or napkin, if you can wipe a light layer of red, this is likely to be industrial wax, it is best not to buy. In addition, it is recommended to buy fruit in the regular market, which is more secure.
4. How to wash the fruit wax more cleanly? Try these 2 tricks
In fact, for regular fruits, even if waxed, it is easy to clean.
(1) Hot water is boiled. The wax melts when it is hot, you can put the fruit into the slightly hot water and roll it around, and after about 1 minute, a wax film will float on the surface of the water. Just pour out the hot water in time and don't let the wax re-paste on the peel.
(2) Scrub with loofah sac or salt. The surface of the loofah is rougher and it is easy to rub the wax off, while the salt grains are smaller and the scrubbing effect is more thorough than that of loofah. This method is suitable for fruits with thicker peels, such as apples, plums, pears, lemons, etc.;
Second, if the fruit is sprayed with pesticides, there will be residues and damage to health?
Many people "talk about the discoloration of pesticide residues", believing that the fruits on the market are all pesticides, and if they are eaten for a long time, toxins will accumulate in the body until they damage health. But in reality, pesticide residues may not be as scary as we think.
1. Whether there are health risks to pesticide residues depends on this point
Whether the pesticide residues on the fruit are safe or not depends on the pesticide residue, because any pesticide needs to reach a certain amount to produce harm. The relevant departments in China have made minimum standards for listed fruits, so even if pesticides are used when growing fruits, as long as the final residue is within the standard range, there will not be too much health risk.
According to a report released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the pass rate of China's agricultural products in 2019 was 97.4%. In general, the residue of pesticides sold in the formal market meets the standards, so there is no need to worry too much.
2, 3 methods, simple and effective to remove pesticide residues
If you are not at ease with the fruit you buy, you can basically remove pesticide residues from all fruits by mastering 3 methods:
(1) Cleaning. Cleaning is the most direct way to remove pesticide residues, but when many people wash fruit, they often just wash it with water at random, and do not wash the fruit. The right thing to do is to rinse the fruit under running tap water for more than 30 seconds and scrub it by hand so that most of the pesticide residues can be removed.
(2) Soaking. If you are worried that you will not be able to rinse the pesticide residues, you can soak them in clean water for another 10 minutes or so, or you can choose to soak them in light salt water or baking soda. However, the soaking time should not be longer, otherwise it is likely to cause the cell rupture of the fruit due to the problem of osmotic pressure, and the pesticide reverses intracellular infiltration, which is more difficult to remove.
(3) Peeling. Even if pesticides can penetrate into the inside of the fruit, they are mainly near the epidermis, so peeling is an efficient means of removing pesticide residues.
Third, to eat fruit, you also need to know these things
1. Can I still eat the fruit when it is rotten? Case by case!
After buying a lot of fruit and putting it home, it rots. At this time, should I just throw away the fruit, or cut off the rotten place and eat it? In fact, whether it can be eaten or not depends on how the fruit is "rotten".
If it is only a slight bruise or frostbite, it is still a "good" fruit that can be eaten. The collision will break the cells of the fruit, and the polyphenols in it will oxidize and change color, causing the color of the injured place to turn black, but as long as it is eaten in a short period of time after the collision, it will not affect health. The frostbitten fruit will also become less good-looking due to cell damage, but in fact, there is no bacteria multiplying, and it is safe to eat.
However, if the fruit has a soft texture, a peculiar smell, juice and other suspected rotten and mildew situations, then the whole fruit should be thrown away directly so as not to endanger health. If you can't tell how rotten the fruit is, it's best not to eat it again.
2. Is fruit juice healthier? It's probably not worth the loss!
Many people think that fruit juice is not only convenient to eat, but also helps to digest and absorb nutrients in fruits and promote metabolism. But in reality, fruit juice is not as healthy as we think.
After the fruit is juiced, the nutritional value will decrease. Not only is it easy to lose nutrients such as dietary fiber and pectin, but also the cellular structure of the fruit will be destroyed during the juice process, and oxidation reactions will occur, resulting in the loss of some vitamins and antioxidant components, such as flavonoids and anthocyanins.
Drinking fruit juice can easily lead to excessive intake of sugar. Due to the inefficient manufacture of fruit juice, multiple apples can squeeze out a glass of apple juice, and more sugar will be ingested. In addition, the drainage rate of juice in the stomach and the rate of absorption by the intestine are very fast, so the rise of blood sugar is also faster, which is not conducive to good health.
Therefore, healthy people are more recommended to eat fruit directly. A guaranteed intake of 200-350g of fresh fruit per day can help maintain a balanced diet.