Eating more fruits and vegetables is a very healthy diet, which can not only help with weight loss but also prevent constipation and various diseases. However, when it comes to choosing fruits and vegetables, the editor has to tell you that there are eight types of fruits and vegetables that you absolutely should not buy.
1. Oranges with overly bright colors
The oranges on the market are exceptionally vibrant, making many people's mouths water. When you encounter such oranges, be careful, as they may have been dyed. Some vendors inject pigment into the orange peels to make them look more attractive and have a better appearance, and then apply some wax to the peel to make the oranges look fresh, but such oranges will bleed color. Some merchants even wash and dry oranges that have mold spots, and then wax and color them. In this way, oranges that were originally moldy and dull instantly become red and shiny.
2. Too-light green leafy vegetables
Vegetables grown in greenhouses are much more attractive and beautiful than those grown under direct sunlight. Their leaves are light in color, but their nutritional value cannot compare to seasonal vegetables that grow naturally. Therefore, when buying green leafy vegetables, choose the darker ones.
3. Strawberries that are abnormally large or oddly shaped
Some growers, in pursuit of exorbitant profits, misuse expanding agents during the cultivation process. The main component of expanding agents is to stimulate cell division, achieving the goal of increasing yield by promoting cell division and volume expansion in the fruit, which makes some strawberries very large, have good color, and some even grow into odd shapes. Expanding agents fall under the category of pesticides, and their overuse affects the quality of the fruit. If consumers consume strawberries with high residues of expanding agents in excess, it can cause significant damage to their health. Especially for patients with kidney disease, they should avoid excessive consumption.
4. Tomatoes that are too hard
The harder a tomato is, the more plant hormones it has used. It's best not to buy them, or if you do, don't eat them right away. Let them sit for two or three days to extend the ripening period and wait for them to soften naturally. Also, by then, the unhealthy ripening agents will have been released. Furthermore, tomatoes that are red on the outside but green on the inside may be related to ripening agents.
5. Prematurely ripened grapes
If the grapes on the market are large and round but have a poor taste, they have generally been treated with ripening agents and expanding agents. The chemical name for the ripening agent is ethephon, which can make grapes ripen prematurely, while expanding agents can make them grow larger. Among grape expanding agents, the use rate of forchlorfenuron is the highest. Although ethephon is sprayed on the fruit's surface, because grape skins are relatively thin, pesticides can easily penetrate into the pulp. These grapes have uneven color, low sugar content, and are juiceless and bland. Long-term consumption is harmful to human health.
6. Those with a strange smell
Unlike vegetables like cilantro and fennel, which have their own natural aromas, vegetables with a lot of pesticide residues or the use of low-quality pesticides will have a pungent and unpleasant odor. You can pick them up and smell them before buying.
7. Cucumbers that grow after purchase
If you buy a cucumber and it "grows" larger overnight, it has definitely been treated with hormone-based expanding agents.
8. Radishes or melons with split cores
It's best not to eat radishes or melons with split cores, as it is likely they have suffered from severe pest infestations, or it could be caused by abnormal artificial planting processes.