If you’re anything like us at Young Living, you love enjoying a balanced diet filled with delicious fruits and vegetables. Whether you’re prepping your fruit and veg for sweet breakfast smoothies, hearty lunchtime salads or light and refreshing evening dishes, learning the best way to clean and prep your ingredients is always the first step to creating any delicious meal. In this blog, we’ll be taking you through our top 5 tips on how to best wash fruits and vegetables, helping you to ensure that your favourite healthy ingredients are as clean as they are tasty from now on!
Why should you wash your fruits and vegetables?
Before we get into our top tips, it’s important to first establish why washing fruits and vegetables is important. In reality, the reasons are endless, but include reducing the chance that you’re ingesting any lingering dirt, pebbles, insects, or debris. A thorough clean also helps to wash off germs that may have been carried on to the fresh produce as it made its way from the ground to the shop where you bought it. So, how should you go about cleaning your fruits and vegetables?
1. Scrub under cool water
If you’re about to tuck into a tasty piece of fruit or veg that may have dirt-trapping layers, one of the easiest ways to clean it quickly is by holding it under cool running water for at least 20 seconds while scrubbing it lightly with a soft brush. The food can then be gently patted dry with a towel before you start to eat it or use it as an ingredient within your meal.
2. Soak in salt water
One of the best ways to wash fruits and vegetables to help avoid bugs and pesticides is by soaking them in salt water. We recommend using Himalayan salt or sea salt and soaking your produce for at least 20 minutes before rinsing off with running water. Then they’re clean and ready to eat!
3. Try out bicarbonate of soda
Also known as baking soda, bicarbonate of soda offers a great solution to cleaning your fruits or vegetables. Simply add 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda to 500 ml of water and soak for 15 minutes before rinsing.
4. Soak in white vinegar
When using white vinegar, you’ll need a solution of 1 part vinegar to 4 parts water. Once you’ve made your soak, add your chosen fruits or veggies, and leave submerged for 15-20 minutes before rinsing off and patting dry with a clean cloth. Please note that porous fruits such as soft berries may go soggy if left to soak for too long.
5. Use Young Living’s Thieves® Fruit & Veggie Soak
With this new product from Young Living, you can enjoy eating your fruits and vegetables as nature intended. The unique formula in our Thieves® Fruit & Veggie Soak combines three exclusive Young Living essential oil blends with other naturally derived ingredients to effectively wash your produce. It’s highly concentrated for long-lasting use and is perfect for both meal preparation and cleaning larger amounts of produce. Simply add a small amount of Thieves Fruit & Veggie Soak to a basin of water, then soak, rinse, and enjoy clean fruits and vegetables!
What should NOT be used when washing fruits and vegetables?
When it comes to preparing your fruits and vegetables, nothing is more important than food safety. With this in mind, it’s important to avoid any sort of soap, detergent or bleach solution when cleaning your fresh produce. Your food does not need to be disinfected, but rather gently cleaned to soak away any potential dirt that may be resting on its surface. To ensure that your fruits and veggies stay clean when in your fridge, we also recommend separating them from any raw animal products, including red meat, poultry, and seafood.
Have you tried Young Living’s Thieves® Fruit & Veggie Soak yet? Write your comments below or contact us at mseublog@youngliving.com
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