(05-06-2013, 11:44 PM)Ruth Wrote: [ -> ]I still believe that vinegar can be helpful in cleansing fruit & veggies, it will also kill parasites and bacteria on the food. It's also a good cleaner to use around the house.
There's a difference between killing bacteria and removing pesticides. Those are 2 separate issues. Vinegar will kill bacteria, yes, but it won't do anything for oil-based pesticides.
(05-06-2013, 11:44 PM)Ruth Wrote: [ -> ]http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articl...rview.aspx
Thank you, but that interview is bogus. Dr. Mercola didn't even bother to research ionized water technology before doing that interview. I know for a fact that he was offered a free machine to test out, but he turned it down. Instead, he chose to parrot the disinfo on a quackwatch-run (drug industry) website that sought to discredit medical devices used in Japanese hospitals. How do I know that? Because of the glaring mistakes made, such as mixing up alkaline and acidic; a mistake no doctor or chemist would make unless they were intentionally trying to deceive a gullible audience.
Dr. Mercola has done a fine job of exposing the corruption in the medical industry and vaccines, but I completely lost respect for him when he allowed his conflict of interest (he sells reverse osmosis units) to reign over factual reporting, especially being in the position he is in. Thousands, if not millions, of people follow him and consider him a guru. To knowingly skew the facts is reprehensible! He's a smart man so there is really no other explanation. The same is true regarding diet. He frequently uses the terms
vegetarian when he was clearly referring to
vegan, yet doesn't bother to make the distinction. And, he selectively ignores studies that don't agree with his 'caveman' dietary preferences.
So I definitely wouldn't consider him an authority on water, or even on diet.
(05-06-2013, 11:44 PM)Ruth Wrote: [ -> ]http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articl...eaner.aspx
Respectfully, once again this is disinfo. If you read the article carefully, you will see that it is implied that vinegar removes pesticides, but nothing is ever said to back that up, or to explain how it could do that. There is no mechanism by which vinegar could remove oil-based pesticides, other than mechanically rinsing off a bit of it, as does water. If one has a large glop of, say, olive oil poured onto an apple, then rinses that apple in tap water, vinegar, or any other rinse, sure, some of the oil will be washed away. But that is strictly mechanical and most of the oil will still cling to the apple.
Again, reading carefully, the article you linked to says only this:
Quote:Last but not least, vinegar can be used to remove certain pesticides and bacteria from your fresh produce.
There is a lot of implication here. Key word is
certain. Yet nothing is said to back that up. A quick search yields this:
Quote:Scientists have found some effective household measures that can eliminate germs and pesticides. The simplest? Rinsing with tap water, which works as well as a mild soap solution or fruit and vegetable washes.
In studies at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in 2000, for example, scientists compared pesticide removal methods on 196 samples of lettuce, strawberries and tomatoes. Some were rinsed under tap water for a minute; others were treated with either a 1 percent solution of Palmolive or a fruit and vegetable wash. Tap water “significantly reduced” residues of 9 of 12 pesticides, and it worked as well as soap and wash products, the studies found.
Water temperature was not the key; friction was. “The mechanical action of rubbing the produce under tap water is likely responsible for removing pesticide residues,” scientists wrote.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/05/health...ealth&_r=0
So...it has been scientifically proven that soap and 'pesticide removing' product don't work any better than tap water! Which is...
nearly worthless.
And it even explains why:
Mechanical action. That's it.
The water/soap/vinegar do nothing to remove oil. Oil and water don't mix! Unless it's strong alkaline water, that is, which does indeed mix with oil and emulsifies it. The article admits that the only reason the pesticides are reduced at all is simple friction.
Bottom line is that if one thinks they are removing pesticides by using water, some sort of soap or 'pesticide wash' or vinegar, they are in fact only removing about 10% or so, whatever they can remove from the surface by friction. Most of the cancer-causing chemicals remain. Those pesticide washes are providing a false sense of security.People who rely on them are consuming a lot more pesticide residue than they thought they were.
I was one of those people. My eyes were opened when I saw the gunk removed by strong alkaline water, and tasted the difference.
(05-06-2013, 11:44 PM)Ruth Wrote: [ -> ]You could use baking soda to alkalize water if you think that will be a better way to clean fruit & veggies.
Baking soda only increases the pH by up to a factor of 10; ie. tap water is usually neutral or slightly alkaline - in the 7 to 8 range - and if you add baking soda it will just raise the pH to about the 8 to 8.5 range...maybe 9.0 if you're lucky. That won't do a thing for pesticides. The water must be at least 11 pH - which is 10,000 times more alkaline than tap water - to emulsify oil.
Anyone can try this for themselves. Put some baking soda in water - any water - and then pour that water into a glass that has a bit of olive oil in it. See what happens. It will glob up. Why? Because oil and water don't mix.
But strong alkaline Electrolyzed Reduced Water does indeed mix with oil and in fact emulsifies oil. What's more, just being alkaline at the level of 11.0 isn't enough either - it must actually be
reduced. Not all alkaline water is reduced! Only
reduced strong alkaline water will emulsify oil.
Yes I understand that that medical-grade ionizers are expensive. I understand that you guys are trying to find a cheap alternative to removing pesticides. If you find one, please let me know! To my knowledge, medical-grade strong alkaline, Electrolyzed Reduced Water is the only substance that effectively removes pesticides.
Is it expensive? You bet! But, it's not nearly as expensive as the cancer and other diseases caused by pesticides.
I am offering this info for those who might find it beneficial.
(05-06-2013, 11:44 PM)Ruth Wrote: [ -> ]As for chlorine - if you are filtering your water, you're removing the chlorine anyway. Chlorine will evaporate fairly quickly (within a few hours I believe) if you just leave the water out.
Chlorine is easy to remove. Any cheap filter can do that. But most people aren't going to leave their drinking water out for a few hours before consuming. Then there is the shower. A 10-minute shower puts as much chlorine into the body as drinking 8 glasses of tap water!
That too is easy to address. A simple shower filter can be purchased at Home Depot, Lowe's etc. for about $50-$100. I use one called the Water Sprite. Careful, though! Not all of the shower heads have filters! Some are just 'low pressure' heads and do nothing to filter the water. Be sure to read the label carefully. Also, you have to change the filter every 2-3 months or so, depending on how many people are in the household.
Most whole-house water systems also remove chlorine. So Chlorine isn't really an issue for anyone with a kitchen filter and shower filter, or a whole-house filtration system.
Fluoride, however, is a whole 'nother issue entirely.
(05-06-2013, 11:44 PM)Ruth Wrote: [ -> ]And I agree that purchasing organic produce as often as possible is a great way to start.
Yes, and not only is it healthier for us, but it's also supporting the organic farmers, whose livelihoods are at stake, thanks to the corporatizing of farms. Most farms are now owned by corporations. Buying organic is also making a statement, as well as avoiding GMO produce, which is a whole 'nother issue too.
BUT, even organic produce can still have pesticides! There are many pesticides used by organic farmers and deemed 'acceptable' because they break down faster. Plus, many have waxes and other substances and can still be classified as 'organic.' So even organic produce can be improved by soaking in strong alkaline Electrolyzed Reduced Water.
Truly, the only way to completely avoid the problem, is to grow your own food! Which is much easier than one might think. One would be amazed how many food-bearing plants can be squeezed into a tiny yard! Even apartment dwellers can grow greens in pots, if they have a small balcony. There are now dwarf fruit trees that can be grown in pots.
Sprouting is another great way to get organic veggies. Sprouting is easy and can be done in any kitchen.
Realistically, though, people are still going to buy staples like apples, tomatoes, lettuce, celery, etc. whether they sprout or not. So a solution must be employed, if they want to avoid the cancer-causing chemicals.
(05-06-2013, 11:44 PM)Ruth Wrote: [ -> ]I would also say that blessing the food, or setting the intention that the food will serve the highest good of your body, is another way to improve it for you.
Absolutely! But wouldn't it make more sense to start with clean food, and bless it, than to start with polluted food? The idea of blessing away the contaminants sounds good in theory, but realistically, I doubt that most people can consistently pull that off. If they could, then they wouldn't be getting sick. But a quick glance at the New Age community shows that they suffer from illnesses just like other people do. So clearly just blessing their food isn't enough, unless the person is on the level of a Yogananda and everything they touch is instantly transformed.
Sorry if I sound a bit cynical here, but I've met too many people who 'bless their food' consistently and yet are still sick.