ODX FYI: Reduce Pesticide Residues In Food

Pesticides are widely used in industrial agriculture today, and unfortunately, some farmers may not follow Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) when using them, increasing consumer intake.

Pesticides can contribute to neurological disorders, reproductive dysfunction, and cancer. Therefore, exposure and intake should be minimized.

Rinsing produce under running water can diminish pesticide residues loosely attached to the food's surface but not those absorbed into the food's surface.

Factors such as rinsing, blanching, boiling, and stir-frying can help reduce the pesticide content of commonly consumed foods.

One experiment found that different cooking methods can significantly reduce pesticide residues.

Chinese kale

• Boiling reduced residues by 18-71%
• Blanching reduced residues by 36-100%
• Stir-frying reduced residues by 25-60%

Yard long beans

• Boiling reduced residues by
• Blanching reduced residues by
• Stir-frying reduced residues by

Optimal Takeaways

• Pesticides contribute to various disorders, including neurological and reproductive disorders, as well as cancer.
• Pesticides diminish the disease-fighting benefits of fruits and vegetables.
• Consuming pesticide fruits and vegetables with lower pesticide residues reduces total and disease-specific mortality.
• Washing can reduce some pesticides from produce.
• Peeling and cooking can reduce pesticide residues but can also reduce nutritional value.
• Blanching vegetables before stir-frying can help reduce pesticides further,
• Ideally, avoid all pesticide consumption, but at the very least, wash, boil, blanch, or stir fry produce.

Reference

Phopin, Kamonrat et al. “Boiling, Blanching, and Stir-Frying Markedly Reduce Pesticide Residues in Vegetables.” Foods (Basel, Switzerland) vol. 11,10 1463. 18 May. 2022, doi:10.3390/foods11101463

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