Can You Eat An Apple Without Washing It?

Can you eat an apple without washing it?

In this brief guide, we will discuss the following question, “can you eat an apple without washing it?” and other queries related to this topic.

Can you eat an apple without washing it?

No, you can not eat an apple without washing it. When growing apples, farmers use several types of pesticides to kill insects and bugs that are harmful to their products.

So, these chemicals will leave traces on the fruits. From here the necessity of washing fruits and vegetables.

Eating or ingesting fruits or vegetables without cleaning and washing them will be risky and you will end up poisoned. Because pesticides are toxic chemical products, ingesting them can be harmful and lead to toxicity.

The toxicity of pesticides can be seen in the short or long term. In the short term, pesticides can lead to allergic reactions in the people who ingested poisoned fruits and vegetables which are characterized by rash, nausea, diarrhea, and fatigue, and might cause death in severe cases.

In the long term, eating products contaminated with pesticides can increase your risk of developing several types of cancer such as ovaries, testes, prostate, breast cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, and even your liver will be affected. The liver is involved in body detoxification.

Along with being polluted with pesticides, fruits and vegetables might also be contaminated by bacteria, especially those coming from animals’ fecal materials and excrements.

Fruits and vegetables that are near the soil can be contaminated by bacteria coming from animals’ fecal material.

However, fruits coming from trees like apples, pears, and peaches can be contaminated with bacteria coming from birds’ feces. The most common bacteria found on fruits and vegetables are E.coli, Salmonella, Shigella, and Listeria Monocytogenes.

So, washing apples is essential to remove every dirt, bacteria, and pesticide present on the skin of the apple. Moreover, wash your hands thoroughly after picky dirty apples to avoid cross-contaminating the clean and washed apples.

How to wash your apples?

There are several ways to wash and clean your apples in order to remove any dirt or harmful bacteria. So, your apples will be safe and free of chemical and biological hazards. Thus, first, you can soak your dirty apples in a baking soda and water solution.

This method is the best to remove dirt and bacteria from apples and other types of fruits and vegetables.

Let your apples or fruits soak in the solution for at least fifteen minutes. Next, remove them and wash the apples with clean water.

To do the solution, put one teaspoon of baking soda in two cups of clean and cold water. The other method to clean your apples is by soaking them in a vinegar solution or by spraying the solution on each apple. This might be time-consuming.

To prepare the vinegar solution, mix one-third cup of vinegar with one cup of water and pour the mixture into a bottle.

Start spraying it on each apple then wash the fruit with clean water. Moreover, you can add the solution to a clean towel and then wipe the apple with the towel.

However, you need to wash your apples with clean water at the end of each method to get a fruit that does not contain any impurities. Also, you can scrub your apples or any fruit or vegetables under clean running water with a brush to remove dirt and soil.

Furthermore, it is not recommended to clean your fruits and vegetables with soap or antiseptic solution. Because when using these solutions you might risk having soap residue on the fruits. So, instead of removing pesticides, and bacteria from your fruits, you will end up building extra contaminants.

Besides, if you are wondering about the quality of your apples or the degree of their cleanliness, consider peeling them. Because the majority of pesticides can be found in the skin of fruits and vegetables and peeling it will reduce your risk of ingesting chemicals.

How to properly store fruits and vegetables to keep bacteria out?

You can store the majority of your fruits and vegetables after washing them in the refrigerator to increase their shelf life.

Place your fruits and vegetables in air-tight or well-sealed containers or bags in the drawer of the refrigerator where the temperature and the humidity are low.

Avoid storing unwashed products because some bacteria can grow at low temperatures and thus you will end up having moldy, deteriorated, and unpalatable fruits and vegetables. However, some fruits and vegetables should not be refrigerated like garlic, onions, and bananas.

So these types of fruits and vegetables can be left on the counter at room temperature. Also, store fruits and vegetables far from raw meat, chicken, and dairy products to avoid their contamination with certain bacteria