From the kitchen of
Donna M. Taylor, RN

CLEANING:

It is estimated an average of four strangers handled your apple before you chose it. Up to 20 may have handled your tomato. This helps explain why all fruits and vegetables should be washed before eating.

I use a procedure for sanitizing all produce entering my kitchen recommended by Susan Sumner, a food scientist at Virginia Polytechnic Institute University. Fill a spray bottle with vinegar (for cleaning purposes, white distilled vinegar is ok), and fill a spray bottle with 3 percent hydrogen peroxide. Do not mix them. Spray the produce with vinegar, then spray with hydrogen peroxide, then rinse well under running water. It does not matter which you use first but be sure to use both. The paired sprays work to sanitize counters and other food preparation surfaces—including cutting boards. Rinse in cold running water. Wash twice if needed. Wash even if rind or skin is not eaten as washing prevents bacteria on the surface from being transferred to the inside when cut or peeled. You do not know what was on the hands of those who handled oranges, melons, cantaloupes on their way from the field to you. Wash potatoes, zucchini, carrots and such with a vegetable brush. Using non-toxic cleaning products is important. Don’t wash your food in a toxic bath.

Keep your hands and kitchen surfaces clean. Wash your hands for 20 seconds and wash frequently. Keep fresh produce separate from raw meat, poultry and fish. Keep cutting boards clean and separate. A website containing good information about non-toxic and economic cleaning is www.seventhgeneration.com. Sign up here for Non-toxic Times, a free newsletter. Some of the products I personally use can be found at www.citra-solv.com. You might like to check out both sites.

Labels “organic” and “natural” are not interchangeable. Foods labeled “organic” meet USDA’s organic standards. Look at the produce stickers. Those that meet organic standards are labeled PLU:91022. Conventional grown are labeled PLU:1022 and genetically modified PLU:81022. These are USDA designated labels and the same standards apply to the health food stores or local grocery. The label “natural is meaningless and deceptive. There are no designated standard for “natural.”

It is amazing, even at the health food stores, how many people bypass the organic to buy the conventional produce not knowing that the same USDA standards apply to all stores. Unhealthy contaminated foods are still unhealthy even if purchased from a “health food store.” Read the labels. Whenever possible, buy organic.

Shopping There is a rich bounty of ORGANIC fruits and vegetables available this time of the year. The rich vitamins and minerals found in fresh fruits and vegetables make them very special as the cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle. Scientist, researchers and the media give reports supporting the fact that fruits and vegetables are essential for good health.

Think about the different colors of fruits and vegetables. Add RED, ORANGE, YELLOW, GREEN, WHITE, BLUE, PURPLE to your meal and it will become a habit. But guess what, a habit is hard to change! Blueberries, cranberries, mango, papaya, pears, pineapple, beets, broccoli, carrots, spinach, and tomatoes are among the best to buy. Broccoli continues to be a top food and is listed as a vegetable among the least contaminated, even grown conventionally. (From the Environmental Working Group www.foodnews.org. )

Buy only ORGANIC or known local grown to avoid harmful pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and insecticides. All the websites stress the need to wash all fruits and vegetables, including those with rinds or skins, before eating and all stress the frequent need for HAND WASHING.