4 ways to detect if your fruits and vegetables have chemical traces

If you have ever accompanied your mother or an elder to the market, then you would have noticed how they observe the items, hold them in their hands, smell them even, and then make a decision. While as a child this may have seemed unnecessary and time consuming, generating irritation and urgency to be somewhere else in you; but as you grew up you realised the wisdom in their actions. Today, the food market is dominated by the use of chemicals and pesticides to quicken harvest for a high demand. But the ways adopted for quickening the harvest are the reason people often fall sick. Thus, it is pertinent to cross-check what you are bringing home before danger strikes.

How to determine chemical use in food before making a purchase?

While it is never possible to detect chemicals with 100% accuracy, still there are some signs that should not be overlooked.

Observe the items: The best thing about visiting a market is your ability to choose. Once you are in front of the fruit or vegetable that you want to purchase, take a moment and observe it. Any piece that seems to have an unnecessary shine or gloss should best be avoided. Sometimes, food-grade wax is used but if you see a sticky film then that is not the piece you want to choose.

Check the appearance: Next, look at the pieces and see if they are all of the same size and shape. In case they look like clones, skip the item. Naturally grown fruits and vegetables will have some defect and two pieces can never look the same. The minor imperfections are signs that the item is perfectly organic.

Touch and pick-up: Pick up the items to see any signs of rapid ripening. Mostly in fruits like mangoes, papayas and bananas, these signs are very frequent. It might seem a healthy piece from the outside but the inside is hard and of a different colour. Moreover, at times, when you touch the item you find soft spots, those pieces must be avoided. Check for powdery coatings on the surface, since they are usually pesticide residue. Moreover, fruits which are very hard but have bright colours, indicate forced ripening process.

Smell check: If you have smelled a fruit which has undergone the process of ripening, naturally, then you would have noticed a mildly sweet aroma. But for any produce which has undergone chemical treatment will either have no smell or have a chemical-heavy smell, far from being anything fragrant.

Thus, to maintain a healthy lifestyle one must be aware of what they eat and do a basic check on them before buying.

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