Summer is a happy time for lovers of fresh berries, vegetables and fruits. Not everyone has a summer house, so many enjoy seasonal delicacies from the shelves of markets and shops.
The truth is simple - all vegetables, fruits and berries must be thoroughly rinsed with running water before consumption. Preferably several times. Before doing this, it would be a good idea to wash your hands with antibacterial soap.
Here's what can happen to you if you don't do this.
Poisoning
Dirty vegetables and fruits are primarily “enriched” with harmful microorganisms and bacteria. Among them coli and enterococcus. Symptoms of poisoning: nausea, vomiting, high fever.
Contrary to popular belief, poisoning is very dangerous acute illness. Intoxication of the body (that is, its filling harmful substances) can lead to disruption of the heart, kidneys and even blood poisoning. You can die from poisoning if treatment is not started in time.
By the way, if the fruit is not only dirty, but also rotten, then poisoning is much more likely to occur. So (pardon the banality) you can’t eat rotten food even clean.
Infection through the mouth
Enterovirus infection is a group of acute infectious diseases caused by intestinal viruses. The infection enters the human body mainly through the mouth, most often with contaminated products.
On the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract and intestines, the virus multiplies, accumulates and causes inflammation. Initially, a sore throat, intestinal dysfunction, and rash may occur. If the virus has managed to spread throughout the body, then other organs will suffer: kidneys, liver, heart, and so on.
The first signs of the disease are a slight increase in temperature (37–38°C), pain and discomfort in the abdomen, sore throat, nasal congestion,” said therapist Tatyana Prokopyeva. - EVI weakens our body, and therefore the likelihood of picking up other viruses that can cause complications increases.
If any of the viruses is launched, the consequences can be very serious: pneumonia, convulsions, cerebral edema and even meningitis (inflammation meninges). Fatal outcome Enterovirus infection, fortunately, is extremely rare.
Helminthiasis
Perhaps the most disgusting thing. Helminthiasis is when helminths, that is, worms, or even more simply, worms, enter your body. They can live on the surface of vegetables and fruits (or inside them) in the form of larvae or adult worms, and then happily move to the mucous membranes of your body, where they begin to actively reproduce.
Worm activity can lead to jaundice, sepsis (blood poisoning), joint problems and nervous system. And this is not counting the endless vomiting, diarrhea and other intestinal problems. Most often children get sick, but adults are also under the threat of worms.
An unpleasant example: recently Life about an unfortunate child from India, in whose brain 100 worm larvae settled. An eight-year-old girl regularly ate unwashed vegetables, fruits and raw meat. Baby for a long time suffered from severe headaches and epileptic seizures. Doctors found out that she had cysticercosis (a type of helminthiasis) of the brain. The causative agent of the disease is the larvae of pork tapeworm.
Mouse fever
Do not forget that before fruits and vegetables hit the shelves, they are transported by ships and trucks to warehouses, where they are then stored in warehouses for a long (or not so long) time. Throughout this journey, the food may be surrounded by mice, rats and other rodents. And these little creatures often suffer the most dangerous diseases- from tuberculosis to rabies. One of the most dangerous is hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome.
This acute infection which amazes blood vessels, and primarily the kidney function suffers from this. The causative agents of the disease are the so-called hantaviruses. They are quite tenacious different temperatures- even when it’s minus outside. These viruses most often infect the kidneys, lungs, and mucous membranes (usually the eyes).
Good news - if you suddenly get sick hemorrhagic fever with kidney syndrome, then after recovery you will have immunity from this disease. That means your next encounter with a rodent or dirty apple will be a little safer.
Let's start with the main thing: of course, this story is an exception to the rule. Like the one in which . Like many other “horror stories”. It is logical that not every trip to a sushi bar will turn out for a lover of Japanese cuisine. But it is necessary to know that this is possible, even if it is a one in a million case. To once again be on the safe side when it comes to your own health and well-being.
Is it possible to eat unwashed vegetables and fruits? The question, you see, is rhetorical. Simply because we all visited our grandmother in the village in the summer, and almost all of us stole apples or strawberries from the neighbor’s garden, the washing of which, of course, was out of the question. As adults, we began to wash vegetables and fruits because we learned that they can cause intestinal infections, sometimes quite serious and very unpleasant consequences. But is that the only thing? It turns out not really.
An 8-year-old girl from New Delhi, described by the Daily Mail, suffered from severe headaches that caused her to feel pain. Doctors suspected brain tumors, so they treated the patient, who has not been named, with ever-increasing doses of drugs. But instead of reducing symptoms, the therapy provoked weight gain (from 40 to 60 kilograms), breathing problems and an inability to walk.
Seeing that treatment was not helping, the desperate parents took their daughter to Fortis Hopsital in Gurgaon, where a brain scan showed 100 white spots in her brain. So the doctors determined that the girl was suffering from neurocysticercosis.
Neurocysticercosis is a condition caused by larval cysts of the pig tapeworm (Taenia solium). Cysts, experts say, can penetrate the brain, leading to life-threatening seizures.
The condition usually develops in people who consume undercooked pork. But microscopic eggs can also enter the body from other foods contaminated with tapeworms (for example, not washed well enough). It can be prevented, experts say, by thorough hand washing.
Returning to the 8-year-old girl, doctors suggested that the pork tapeworm larvae moved through her body through the bloodstream, so that they got from the stomach to the brain. In turn, they could end up in the stomach after eating undercooked pork, but, more likely, given the patient’s age, after eating unwashed fruit.
This story has happy ending: correct drug treatment, aimed first at shrinking the tumor and then at killing the tapeworms, helped the girl recover and begin to walk again. She also lost the weight she had gained on steroids so she could go to school, which she had already missed.
“We had no idea that our daughter could have something so terrible,” the parents admitted. “But we think we were lucky in that our daughter received treatment before the larvae turned into worms, which could have caused much more damage to her brain.”
According to WHO, neurocysticercosis is the most preventable disease worldwide and, according to experts, accounts for about 30% of all cases.
Plant foods are a source of many substances beneficial to our body: fiber, vitamins and microelements. But at the same time, manufacturers so actively fertilize fruits and vegetables with all kinds of chemicals that they can be as harmful as the apple from the fairy tale about Snow White. Moreover, some fruits accumulate toxic substances especially active.
As a result of numerous tests, scientists have calculated which fruits and vegetables contain greatest number nitrates, heavy metals and other poisons. “It’s better to buy such products from farmers or organic stores,” says Natalya Fadeeva, Ph.D. nutritionist-endocrinologist of the clinic family medicine"MEDEP". — Or, as an option, grow it on your own summer cottage. Eat fresh in season, freeze for winter.”
- Zucchini and squash. Nitrates and heavy metals accumulate in the peel, so it is necessary to peel them before use.
- White cabbage “deposits” nitrates in the upper leaves and stalk, in which lead and cadmium can also accumulate. It is better not to use these parts of the head of cabbage in cooking.
-Potato accumulates nitrates and heavy metals in the peel. If you are not sure about the ecological purity of the tubers, it is better not to cook them in their uniforms. If potatoes are stored in the light for a long time, they turn green because they accumulate solanine, a very toxic substance, and should not be eaten at all.
-Carrot is also capable of absorbing nitrates, but in the tips and middle, where there may also be heavy metals.
- Parsley, spinach, celery, dill can accumulate nitrates in the stems, so it is better to use only the leaves for food.
-Beet can collect toxic substances in the upper part, near the tops, and below, near the tail: cut them off with a reserve.
-Watermelon and melon dangerous substances accumulate right under the peel - don’t be greedy, don’t finish eating the pulp.
- Apples and peaches with frequent fertilization and spraying, toxins also accumulate under the skin, clean them before use. It is better not to gnaw the apple to the very core.
-Lingonberries, blueberries and cranberries can be dangerous due to cesium and a number of other toxins if grown in contaminated areas, near highways. Without knowing where the berries were picked, do not buy them.
- Grape often processed: fertilized and sprayed. And being a watery berry, it perfectly absorbs and retains all toxic substances. Especially unreliable are grapes that come to us from afar, arriving on the shelves after long-term storage and transportation.
“To protect yourself, all vegetables and fruits should be thoroughly washed before eating or even soaked in water for 30-60 minutes and then peeled,” says Natalya Fadeeva. “Another way to remove toxins from them is to heat them. You can stew or, say, bake not only potatoes and carrots, but also apples. This will rid them of most of the nitrates and pesticides. Regularly include in your diet foods that can remove dangerous substances from the body: milk, cottage cheese, tea with milk... It has been proven that the nitrate content in the body is reduced by 70-80%.”
These are products with thick, dense skins that protect them from contamination. Citrus fruits (grapefruits, lemons, oranges), bananas, corn, onions, tomatoes, eggplants, green peas can be bought at any supermarket. Avocado is also included in this list.
“Avocados are considered one of the safest crops in terms of pesticides due to their thick skin acting as a protective barrier,” writes American physician Joseph Mercola, author of the best-selling book “Cell on a Diet.” A guide to how the body works at the molecular level." “That’s why there’s no point in spending extra money buying organic avocados.” My employees and I tested avocados from producers from different countries and made sure that all the fruits on store shelves do not contain harmful chemicals.”
According to Natalia Fadeeva, currants and gooseberries are also the safest from an environmental point of view.
Make a list of the healthiest and safest fruits and vegetables for yourself and keep it handy when you go shopping.
Don't eat dirty fruits and vegetables
Friends, you need to take care of your health.
And therefore it is necessary to wash
Fruits and vegetables before meals
Clean and thoroughly with warm water.
So as not to disturb the doctors,
Wash away the germs and you will be healthy!
A washed apple shines brighter
And it doesn't make my stomach hurt.
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Along with juicy fruits eaten unwashed, you can get very unpleasant “surprises”. First of all, infection with intestinal infections, especially active in the hot summer. Intestinal infections are generally common among the population, and children under seven years of age are most susceptible to them. After all, the immunity of a child, especially a small one, is very weak against pathogens.
Acute intestinal infections
manifested by increased body temperature, chills, weakness, headache, dizziness. Possible aches in the joints, nasal congestion and sore throat, which resembles the picture of the flu. However, with intestinal infections, manifestations from the gastrointestinal tract are required - nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cramping pain and rumbling in the abdomen, intestinal spasms. In severe cases - increase blood pressure, breathing problems, muscle spasms, loss or confusion.IN lately In addition to acute intestinal infections (such as dysentery and salmonellosis), infections caused by opportunistic flora. Moreover, such infections can be even more severe. These are Klebsiella, Cytobacter, Enterobacter and others, not large quantities living in the human intestines without manifesting themselves in any way. However, once in gastrointestinal tract in large quantities, they cause acute intestinal infection, By clinical manifestations reminiscent of dysentery.
Imported fruits are usually coated with paraffin to increase shelf life. It forms a thin film on the skin of the fruit, which in itself is harmless, but bacteria, dust, and worm eggs accumulate on it.
The simplest way to process fruits is thorough washing . Water removes bacteria and worm eggs. After washing under a running stream, the fruits are rinsed with warm boiled water.
