It’s not shocking any more to know that tons of vegetable and fruits entering country from the southern border contain deadly pesticides. Due to the high demand of vegetables, urban areas are much likely to consume such food products. Chemicals used to preserve such vegetable and fruit have direct effects on human health. Hence, health professionals have recommended to not consume such food products.
Selection process:
Consumers must be careful while picking foods from market. According to Food Technologist, Jitu Upadhyaya, this is a primary step to avoid pesticides and chemicals used in vegetables. Shine and glossiness are primary signs of chemicals being used in that product. “Farmers and entrepreneurs use chemicals to make fruits and vegetable attractive, shiny, glossy and smooth. Therefore, such food products are more likely to contain chemicals.
Another Food Technologist, Arun Upreti stated that if you stick with food products that are more colorful than usual than it is also better to avoid such products. It might sound weird but holes and insects indicate that the vegetable is chemical free.
Upreti further informed that unseasonal fruits and vegetable are produced by using chemicals. So it’s better to consume seasonal veggies.
Beyond Pesticides
Copper sulfate is used as Coloring agents and preservative, which also works as a poison for human. To check whether Copper sulfate is used or not you can simply examine the tip of the vegetable. There will be a slight green color if Copper sulfate is used.
What should be done before cooking?
You should wash vegetables and fruits properly before cooking. its better if you wash it in a running tap water. Soaking vegetable in rinsing water or salt water before 30 minutes from cooking would even be better. “Keeping vegetable in a fridge for 2 to 3 days will also reduce the effect of chemicals,” said Upadhya.
Mostly pesticides and chemicals are used on the outer side of the vegetable, that’s why rinsing it properly, soaking in salt water will remove the chemicals thoroughly. Pealing them before consumption will also remove a layer of chemical like preservatives.
Significant of food preservatives:
Consumption of food chemicals will cause health problems like food poisoning. It also triggers chronic diseases like cancer. Cancer specialist Bibek Acharya claimed that chemicals used in a vegetable is responsible for several types of cancer-- like skin, stomach, and urinary bladder. Though there is no proper research about cancer causing agent in Nepal, vegetables of Nepali market has direct link with such health problems.
Food chemicals are transported to our cells through blood circulation, which damages our DNA. Such damage is called mutation in medical language. According to cancer specialists, this may not cause any health problem among parents but promotes cancer in their children.
Acharya said, “Mutated DNA transfers to children through their parents increases the risk of cancer among them.” Not just physical, these types of chemicals are equally responsible for mental problems in the consumers.
Psychologist, Gopal Dhakal stated that chemicals are one of the major causes of mental problems among children. Dhakal further informed, “This may also result in intellectual disability.” Food chemicals are equally responsible for other health problems like insomnia, headache and many more.
