To protect crops from weeds, small rodents and other pests, chemical compounds are used - pesticides. Even in ancient Greece and Rome, people tried to preserve their plantings, fumigating them with sulfur and pouring them with extra virgin olive oil. Fruit and vegetable lovers will find it useful to know how to protect themselves from pesticides and not harm their health.
What types of pesticides are there
There are three main groups of these substances:
- herbicides, the action of which is aimed at the destruction of weeds;
- insecticides that kill flying pests;
- fungicides that kill fungal infections;
- zoocides that destroy small rodents (mice, rats).
The harm of pesticides
All groups of pesticides are toxic. Cope with the task of protecting crops, they have a negative impact on human health. Many scientists note the ability of fertilizers to negatively affect the activity of not only the nervous and respiratory systems, but also to provoke the development of malignant neoplasms.
Practice has repeatedly noted cases when the ingress of harmful substances into the body provoked diseases of the nervous system, children developed anemia and epilepsy, and the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease increased in elderly people. However, it is not necessary to be on farms, in greenhouses or on agricultural arable land, inhaling the sprayed substances: the danger is that we use pesticides along with the gifts of fields and gardens. To avoid this, you should know about 5 simple ways to protect against chemical compounds.
5 ways to protect yourself from pesticides
Most of the substances in the process of pollination are deposited on foliage and stems. Therefore, before eating, all fruits and vegetables should be thoroughly rinsed in running water.
By wiping the surface dry, we remove chemical residues. You can use cloth towels and paper towels for this.
To minimize the ingestion of pesticides into the body, it is recommended to peel the peels from vegetables and fruits. This is especially true of apples - it is on them that a wax film is applied, under which toxins are perfectly preserved. After cleaning, be sure to rinse the knife before cutting other food with it. The outer layer of lettuce and cabbage leaves must be cut off - this is where the concentration of negative substances is highest.
Heat treatment is the most effective way to protect your body from toxins. However, it must be remembered that long-term processing will not only protect products from chemical compounds, but also negatively affect the vitamin components of products. To avoid this, you should know certain rules:
- when cooking, we lower vegetables into boiled water;
- put a vegetable set in the first courses, so as to achieve the simultaneous readiness of the ingredients;
- it is advisable to switch to cooking with steam;
- fresh herbs should be soaked in warm water for 30 minutes before serving.
There is a simple and long-tried remedy: dilute a weak solution of vinegar and hold the gifts of fields and vegetable gardens in it. After that, be sure to rinse everything with water and wipe it off with a towel.
