Dietician Shares the Real Reason Why We Wash Fresh Fruits and Veggies — And It’s Not Pesticides

You’ve just arrived from a trip to the grocery store, carrying a box of carrots in your shopping bag. The carrots are luscious red, and you can’t wait to toss them in a grinder and make yourself a bowl of carrot pudding. But it’s not the right time yet. First, it's time for a nice quick bath. The carrots need to be placed in a strainer, which needs to be lowered under the kitchen tap. The tap needs to be turned on, so a gushing runnel of water can pour over the brawny, hairy bodies of carrots. The vigorous torrent of tap water is supposed to wash away the invisible veneer that may hide lingering traces of bacteria, pebbly soil debris, or squashed dead bodies of unlucky insects. The process is not unfamiliar.

Not just carrots, but every vegetable and fruit has to go through this process before they’re ready to be gobbled up inside the mouth. A common belief, however, says that washing these groceries will remove the residual pesticides lurking on them. In a TikTok video, dietician Nichole Andrews (@oncology.nutrition.rd) countered this belief and explained the real reason fruits and vegetables are washed before eating.

“You're washing your fruits and veggies to get rid of the bacteria, not to get rid of the herbicides and pesticides,” Andrews said. She added that the belief that rinsing fruits and vegetables with water will wash away pesticides is a “big gaslight” and a strategy of deceptive marketing. The reason, she explained, is that herbicides and pesticides found in these groceries are already in controlled amounts. “The herbicides and pesticides are at very, very safe levels of pesticide residuals on both conventional and organic,” she explained.   

Therefore, washing fruits and vegetables with a good amount of water “does not make it more nutrient-dense,” the nutritionist explained. None of the people who harvested these organics even said a word about washing away the pesticides. “Okay so when you wash your fruits and veggies you don't need any of the sprays, you don't need bleach, you don't need vinegar, and don't put them in your sink, because if you put them in your sink now, they're like literally being immersed in all the bacteria that's in your sink. You gotta rinse them again. Just rinse them under running water,” Andrews told the viewers.

Healthline also agrees with what Andrews said. “Washing produce with water may not be the most effective method for removing pesticide residue, as pesticides often penetrate deep into fruits and vegetables and may require the use of commercial cleaning solutions,” the health website states. “I know it seems too good to be true, that's all you gotta do. Eat more fruits and veggies. You don't eat organics. You don't need to worry about the pesticides. Just rinse them and eat them,” said the dietician.

TikTok homemakers said they felt an unusual relief after watching her video. The uncertainty and confusion were cleared out. “This feels liberating,” said @jayarose. @heather.nieves shared, “Water is not enough!! You should see the film that comes off my produce after I soak them!”  

You can follow Nichole Andrews (@oncology.nutrition.rd) on TikTok for cancer-related content and healthcare tips.