◊◊◊◊

 Back to Main Diet Page

Go to recipe lists at bottom of page

◊◊◊◊

Veggies

Eat organic produce if possible. They taste better and have more nutrients. The stronger the color, the healthier it is.

Cleaning Veggies and Fruits

From www.drlam.com. Rinse your vegetables well to kill germs, and spin it down well to prolong shelf life. Wash all fresh fruits and vegetables with cool tap water immediately before eating. Don't use soap on them. Scrub firm produce such as melons, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, etc., with a clean produce brush. Cut away any bruised or damaged areas before eating. Squeeze the air out of the storage bag if you intend to store vegetables. Fresh produce should be refrigerated within two hours of peeling or cutting.

My opinion is that plain water won't kill germs. I think that veggies should be washed, whether organic or not, to get rid of as much bacteria, preservatives, and pesticides as possible.

~~~~~~~

Some recommended ways, from various sources, to clean veggies.

● Half white vinegar and half water used in a spray bottle. Spray generously and rinse in cold water.

● A weak solution of Palmolive dish liquid (just the old green kind). Rinse well after washing. Other dish soaps would probably work as well. Use a "little bit" and fill a small spray bottle the rest of the way with water. Mix well, spray veggies, and rinse.

● Baking soda and water

● Mixture of 1 cup water, 2 tablespoons baking soda, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Use spray bottle to spray veggies, let set for a few minutes, then rinse.

● In Dr. Mercola's Total Health Cookbook& Program (p. 17), he recommends soaking your fruit and vegetables for 10 minutes in a mixture of water, vinegar, and hydrogen peroxide. Proportions are not given.

● Water, vinegar, and salt. About 1/4 cup vinegar and 1 teaspoon salt to a gallon of water. The vinegar cleans the fruits and vegetables, while the salt draws out any critters, dirt, and anything else undesirable.

● My allergist recommended that I use Rokeach Kosher Kitchen Soap to clean veggies and fruits.

● One exception is mushrooms. They should not be soaked because that allows them to absorb extra water and whatever is mixed in the water.

Broccoli

Greens
 

Greens are high in antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, and fiber. Eat kale, spinach, red and green leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, bok choy. Eat at least one serving per day of any of these leafy greens as part of your five servings (or more) per day minumum.

Lettuce

From http://www.venturacenter4healing.com/nutritional_counseling.htm:

Use only leafy greens: romaine lettuce, butter lettuce, green leaf, red leaf, spinach, etc. NO ICEBERG LETTUCE (nonnutritious iceberg lettuce creates a gassy intestinal tract, leeches minerals, and is handled in the body like plastic or cellulose).

From http://www.drlam.com/opinion/anti-agingstrategiesbrief.cfm:

Do not eat iceberg lettuce. It is mostly water, low in fiber and nutrition

From http://www.suite101.com/print_article.cfm/902/63635:

Salad yes! Iceberg lettuce no! If you knew what happens to iceberg lettuce before it gets to the supermarket, you would regard it as compost material at best. It has no nutritive properties to make up for its deficiencies.

This page on-line July 23, 2005