Not washing your food items before you consume them is not necessarily a call for disaster, but rinsing and scrubbing can help you prevent some digestive issues. Seafood and meat are most frequently thought of as the sole culprits of foodborne sickness. Undercooked meat, poultry, and fish can carry numerous bacterias that will cause some serious illness. There was a recent nationwide recall that put light on many fruits and vegetables that can be dangerous or even deadly in some cases. There are some fruits and vegetables like romaine lettuce, melons, and cucumbers that have been tied to outbreaks of foodborne illness caused by E.coli and Salmonella.
In this post, you will learn some steps to make your food safer for you and anyone that sits with you on the dinner table. You will also read what happens when you eat your food items without washing them.
Why do you need to wash your food?
- It can carry dangerous bacteria
Bacteria on your food items can survive from the farm to transportation and even storage, which could make you face troubles. Multiple opportunities can make your food items contaminated. Dirty food items can sometimes result in foodborne illness.
- You may end up eating some bugs
Almost all the food items are grown outdoors, and multiple natural elements can come into contact with your food before you do. Some food items can even contain tiny insects that should be cleaned off before eating.
Some doctors say that you can even fall sick from eating properly washed food items, but it’s still a much safer and better option to wash your produce before eating it. Steps to make your food safer:
- Don’t just rinse the outside
When you are washing your food items, consider the inside too. Bugs and bacteria can find their way inside leaves or stalks. For example, green onions have substantially long straws that can trap insects and pests. Do the same with leafy greens like lettuce and kale. Go ahead and remove some of the outer layers of leaves. You will probably find these leaves having cuts and bruises from the transportation process.
- Remove skin
If you are planning to avoid washing the surface of the food items because you don’t want to eat it, let us tell you, you are doing it wrong. As you cut the food item using a knife, you are creating a pathway for bacteria and bugs to go inside your produce. Wash the skin of the products even if you are not eating it.
- Wash the right way
The FDA recommends you wash all food items under running tap water for at least 2 minutes before you eat them. And before you start cleaning the food items, make sure you wash your hand with soap to remove any bacteria or virus you have on your hands. If you don’t do it that way, you may transfer the bacteria from your hands to the food.
