How to choose fruits and vegetables to avoid poisoning?

Are you attracted by the bright, fresh, and tempting fruits and vegetables on store shelves? But did you know that the prettiest fruits and vegetables can be full of dangers? For example, they can contain nitrites and nitrates.

Natalia Spitsyna, a doctor of infectious diseases at the Transcarpathian Regional Public Health Center, explained what these mysterious “nitrites” and “nitrates” are and how to protect yourself from them.

Spitsyna Natalia

infectious disease specialist

Which berries, vegetables, and fruits can be poisoned?

«You can be poisoned by almost all kinds of berries, fruits, and vegetables,» – says infectious diseases doctor Natalia.

But most often, the list includes strawberries, early cherries, cucumbers, cabbage, watermelons, melons, and radishes. Also, the risk of nitrate poisoning increases if you use products out of season. In addition, products spoil more quickly in the summer and become a breeding ground for microorganisms that can cause food poisoning in humans.

The main symptoms of food poisoning are:

• general weakness;
• nausea;
• vomiting;
• fever;
• abdominal bloating;
• headache;
• decreased blood pressure;
• diarrhea.

What is first aid for poisoning?

If you have signs of poisoning, the first thing to do is flush the stomach. Then you need to drink a large amount of warm water – at least 50 ml of water per kilogram of body weight and sorbents per kilogram of body weight. After that, you can start symptomatic treatment.

To wash the stomach, it is worth drinking 5-6 glasses of warm water with soda, then, irritating the back of the throat with your fingers to induce vomiting. The procedure should be repeated several times.

If there is vomiting with blood, the temperature does not decrease, and the condition worsens – then it is definitely worth calling an ambulance.

In case of poisoning by a child or a pregnant woman, the ambulance should be called immediately, and do not act on your own.

What are nitrates and nitrites? Why are they dangerous?

Nitrates are salts of nitric acid found in many plants, vegetables, fruits, berries, and even the human body. It is worth noting that nitrates by themselves are not harmful, but when consumed in too large quantities, they begin to turn into nitrites in the intestines. And this is already a problem.

Nitrites interact with hemoglobin in the human body, resulting in oxygen deprivation.

Oxygen deficiency is a pathological condition in which tissues and organs are insufficiently «supplied» with oxygen, or there is enough oxygen, but the tissues do not assimilate it. As a result, irreversible changes occur in vital organs.

«The human body can eliminate up to 80% of all nitrates, but nitrites are not eliminated from the body.»

How to choose fruits and vegetables without nitrates?

It is not so difficult to distinguish products with nitrates from ordinary ones. Vegetables or fruits with nitrates can be too bright, larger, and have a completely different taste, or there may be no taste at all.

How to avoid nitrates at home?

To reduce nitrates at home, you should follow these guidelines:

1. put vegetables, fruits, berries, or greens in water for 15–20 minutes before eating;
2. do not neglect the heat treatment of products, which will significantly reduce the amount of nitrate;
3. before buying, pay attention to the appearance of the food and the conditions in which it has been stored;
4. prefer seasonal fruits and vegetables.