The 5 dirtiest foods

17 years ago

EEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!

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The 5 dirtiest foods

by Sarah Jio, Vitamin G, Glamour Magazine, on Wed Dec 10, 2008 8:56am PST Read More from This Author Â»

I know someone who never washes their fruits and vegetables after bringing them home from the market because he believes that they're washed at the store. Um, no. Read on to learn about what some call the "5 dirtiest foods" and for a food safety wake-up call...

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The dirty food list, according to this fascinating piece I found over at AOL Health include the following:

Eggs: While most eggs aren't going to make anyone sick, experts estimate that more than 2 million germy eggs (as in Salmonella infected) get into circulation each year, sickening 660,000 people each year and killing as many as 300. Um, maybe we should think twice about eating that cookie dough (or, judging by our conversation on Vitamin G, perhaps you'd rather take your chances?). How to buy cleaner eggs? Make sure the carton says they're pasteurized and never buy a dozen that contains any obvious cracks or leaks.

Peaches: They're pretty, but that's just skin-deep. Health experts warn that peach skins are doused in pesticides before they make it to grocery store to prevent blemishes. On average, a peach can contain as many as nine different pesticides, according to the USDA. This is one fruit you might want to buy organic (which may have blemishes, but won't have pesticides). (Here's How Peaches Can Help You Build Muscle.)

Pre-packaged salad mixes: Surprise! "Triple washed" doesn't mean germ-free say experts. Pathogens may still be lurking so be sure to wash your greens before tossing in your salad bowl. (Don't make these salad mistakes!)

Melons: Get ready to be grossed out. According to the article, "when the FDA sampled domestically grown cantaloupe, it found that 3.5 percent of the melons carried Salmonella and Shigella, the latter a bacteria normally passed person-to-person. Among imported cantaloupe, 7 percent tested positive for both bugs." Ewww. Your best bet: Scrub your melons with a little mild dish soap and warm water before slicing.

Scallions: Blamed for several recent outbreaks of Hepatitis A, and other bugs like the parasite Cryptosporidium, Shigella and Salmonella, scallions present a food safety problem because of the way they grow (in the dirt) and lack of proper washing. While you can't control what happens in restaurant kitchens, you can give them a super-duper washing at home before cooking with.

Other dirty foods in the article include chicken, ground beef and turkey, raw oysters, and cold cuts. Click here to read 5 more.

The bottom line: Don't be afraid to eat these foods, just be aware of the precautions you need to take before enjoying them. Most food-borne illnesses are the result of hygiene carelessness somewhere in the food chain. Protect yourself!

Here is a link that might be useful: The 5 Dirtiest foods

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Comments (14)

lindac
17 years ago
I think that some prepared foods are so loaded with preservatives as to be...not only indestructable but also poision!
I bought some prepared cantelope, that is cut into cubes and in a plastic container the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
We ate it that morning and the next morning and it got shoved to the back of the frig. I discovered it about mid week, making it about the 3rd or 4th....and it was fine...Ia te some....and again lettuce got in the way...
Well I discovered ita gain yesterday....still looking perfect...not dried out, no mold....I didn't taste it so I don't know anout that...
But now it has become an experiment....how long will it last? And what do they add to it to keep it everlasting?
Linda C
Terri_PacNW
17 years ago
There are many things I only buy in organic now..but still wash them..good list..I'd have to agree with it..although I am very bad about washing my tub of mixed organic salad greens before eating..
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Geez I read that link - what an eye opener! I am going to definitely wash things more! Many thanks for sharing this link. McPeg
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I did read somewhere about the bottom of a purse being yucky. 'Losing' my purse in Italy one time, taught me a valuable lesson about keeping my purse on my person. My purse never sits on the floor. I use a purse hanger to hold it on the edge of the table. If the purse hanger doesn't work because of table design, I hang it on my knee or wear the strap across my chest. I don't carry fashionable purses because, 1) I can't be bothered and 2) I prefer function over fashion for the safety factors... primarily strap design so I can do the 'across-the-chest' wearing. Also, I had a hook in my old kitchen where I hung my purse as I had very little counter space for it to land on. No room to cook, much less store a purse. So I guess I only need to worry about the sponge, can opener, garbage can, ..... :-) Pepper ps. I did get my purse back. Bless the people at the restaurant. And now I need to think about where I can hang my purse in the not-yet-finished-past-schedule kitchen.
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denise8101214
17 years ago
oh!

never mind.... I thought that this was a Jessy thread...
trsinc
17 years ago
I wash everything. In fact, I soak everything in water then drain and rinse several times. I even do this with organic produce as they were grown in dirt like anything else. I'm a gardener and I use organic fertilizers which I don't want to eat (just like I don't want to ingest pesticides).

Someone on the veg forum used to live in Mexico and they washed everything with water and iodine. Anyone here do this? They use, I believe, dish detergent to wash things here now and only use iodine on suspect items.
foodonastump
17 years ago
Two questions:

1) Where do you buy pasteurized eggs? I have no shortage of well-stocked supermarkets in my area, but have yet to see pasteurized eggs that come in a shell, not in a box. And I've looked all over, esp this time of year because I know my aging parents wouldn't think of going through the holidays without raw egg nog.

2) what are you using to clean your food? Just water isn't good enough for hands so I wouldn't expect it do do much for food, either.
deborah_ps
17 years ago
I've had two stem cell transplants in the past ten years, meaning that I had no immune system in place due to the heavy doses of chemo. So for a few years I could only eat foods that were WELL cooked (way overcooked) and every single piece of raw food brought into my home is washed in LOC (amway). Also bananas, oranges, avocados, eggs, basically anything you might cut into with a knife as bacteria would be drug thru the product. Tops of cans are washed down too.
I wasn't able to eat black pepper for two years as I was told it was full of dirt. Salad bars were a huge no no. I couldn't dine out for a long time, as we couldn't be sure if veggies were washed. Could only eat at friends if they were aware and practiced safe food handling for me.
Fortunately I'm well now, but I still am adamant about washed foodstuffs and a bit of a clean freak now :)
Lars
17 years ago
Washing food with water in Mexico is not safe, unless the water has been boiled. I assume the person you are talking about did this practice after she got back from Mexico.

The only thing I'm fastidious about washing is spinach, and I never buy pre-washed spinach - I prefer to wash it myself.

Lars
annie1992
17 years ago
I seem to be mostly immune from anything, I've been told that even the viruses won't touch me, LOL.

I do wash my eggs before I use them, heck, I know exactly where they come from, although I leave that protective layer on until I use them. Most vegetables come from my garden, and I wash them well to rid them of dirt and grit, but I don't use any soap, etc., just fresh water.

Any produce from the store wil be washed, not only do I not know where it came from, but it has been handled by countless customers and employees from it's origin to the final destination.

I grow my own beef, so I'm confident and eat it raw if it suits me. Chicken and turkey get cooked well and I don't contaminate other foods with juices and drippings, etc., but I don't wash my hands a dozen times after I handle it either.

I wouldn't eat a raw oyster for any reason other than large amounts of cash, it's like having a mouth full of...well...um....mucus. Ick.

Annie
Ideefixe
17 years ago
Considering Glamour is aimed at young women who are afraid to eat anyway, I consider the source and say phooey.
trsinc
17 years ago
Lars, no, they used some sort of iodine product down there. Here too, at times. Anyway, they lived there so I'm sure they had something worked out about the water. Probably used all bottled. My point/question in that post was about the iodine. Not the water.
Terri_PacNW
17 years ago
I will dip my pineapples and melons in my soapy dish water and then rinse under running water....but that's only in the last few years that I've done that.
User
17 years ago
I wash everything but I don't fuss about it. It's just a natural thing to do.

Even home grown produce, eggs, etc. needs to be washed well, little guys wander our world and need to do , what they need to do all over our stuff.
beachlily z9a
17 years ago
Oh, my lord, I always, always scrub the melons with soap & water. Most every thing else, too. I've in FL where I know that the ground in the orange groves is toxic. Oh well. Scrub and hope!
doucanoe
17 years ago
I wash my fruits and veggies with water. No soap, just water. Have never washed my eggs.

Part of me agrees with ideefixe, too. I think alot of these studies are baloney and some of it is meant to sell products that we really don't need.

Linda

The 5 dirtiest foods

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