Having a balanced diet matters for maintaining a long, healthy life. While it’s fun to eat sweet and salty foods occasionally, snacking on your favorite fruits and vegetables helps maintain an even diet of healthy eating.

However, if you don’t properly wash your foods, you can get food poisoning, leaving you bedridden for days. So let’s look at the five dirtiest foods that need washing before consumption.

5 Dirtiest Foods You Should Wash Before Eating

Apples

While apples have numerous health benefits and powerful micronutrients, they tend to sit high on the list of dirtiest foods to wash before consumption. Because pesticides and foodborne bacteria are festering on the surface, ensure that you properly wash apples and rinse away any foreign contaminants.

Celery

Another contender for dirtiest foods to wash, celery is a vegetable that makes this list. Due to their stalk grooves, dirt can quickly accumulate and result in the growth of bacteria.

It’s essential to wash your fruits and vegetables, even if they have the “prewashed” label attached to the packaging. Simply clean your celery in the sink or soak it in a vinegar-water mixture to remove bacteria.

Leafy Greens & Lettuce

Leafy greens and lettuce have a high recall rate due to E. Coli outbreaks in the past. Leafy greens like spinach, mustard greens, and kale easily hide bacteria and dirt, so washing them is essential. As for lettuce, it has dirt hidden in nooks and crannies, so ensure that you wash your lettuce thoroughly before consumption.

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Berries

Berries might have high amounts of antioxidants and vitamins, but their thin skin can accumulate bacteria. You can’t peel your berries, so running them under water can help remove any festering germs. Besides bacteria, you’ll also wash away pesticides and other additives.

Potatoes & Root Vegetables

While potatoes and other root vegetables like beets and onions come packed with vitamins and minerals, they grow underground. Because of weather conditions and pesticides used on these vegetables, they can accumulate bacteria and become caked with dirt. Thorough washing and peeling can help prevent foodborne illnesses and help you create delicious starches for your next meal.

Washing your fruits and vegetables can save you a few days of being bedridden with a stomach bug. So remember to wash your food before you slice and serve.