Question: Do you wash bananas?

deedeehawaii

Another post about pre-washed vegetables reminded me of this topic: washing bananas. I've always washed bananas when they come home from the store, after learning years ago about the dirty shipping environment and also the pesticides used on bananas coming from foreign countries.

And then recently, right here in the US, a video came to light about dirty food stores. You have to watch this video, especially about 60 seconds into it, where you see rats climbing all over the banana display.

It has reinforced my habit of washing bananas. I do not want to handle the outer skin with my hands, then handle the banana fruit (or other foods) with hands that have been contaminated by banana skin germs. So, I wash the bananas when I bring them come home from the store, before putting them on my counter for the family to eat.

Watch this. This could be YOUR open market store after hours. :noway:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGXcv273jGI

crestono

I do not wash them, maybe I should.

SASSYJAX

I dont care personally, thats life isnt it.

cmw72

It would never occur to me to wash a banana. I'm not even sure it would even do any good.

I've been eating bananas for probably 32 years now (at least) and I haven't had any problems yet.

deedeehawaii

I dont care personally, thats life isnt it.

EEEEK, but my life is not going to include rat urine, if I can help it. EEEEEK

catherine1979

I'm totally neurotic, so I wash everything that comes in the house, I even wipe off the few canned goods we buy.

kirsty1981

i'v never washed a banana it has never even enter my mind to do that the banana wont be dirty in the inside tho :laugh:

pennyk78

By washing them I don't think we really do much...life has contaminants, it's what makes us strong and free from infection. We need a bit of exposure, even to rat wee lmao

JayAlexander

Are you eating the peels? Are you not washing your hands regularly? Then what's on the outside of a banana really doesn't matter....

deedeehawaii

I'm totally neurotic, so I wash everything that comes in the house, I even wipe off the few canned goods we buy.

Whew, I'd feel safe eating at your house. I wash oranges, too.

deedeehawaii

Are you eating the peels? Are you not washing your hands regularly? Then what's on the outside of a banana really doesn't matter....

Scenerio: The average person washes their hands before lunch. They sit down to eat lunch. Lunch includes a banana. They peel banana with hands, and eat banana. They then eat sandwich with hands. They then eat carrot sticks with hands.

I surmise that the average person does not get up BETWEEN the banana and sandwich and carrot sticks to wash their hands. Get rat pee on your hands during the banana peeling, and it is with you through the entire lunch. Ditto for your kids. Send them to school with pee contaminated food, and see if they get up to wash after peeling the banana, and before the rest of the meal.

What is on the outside of food DOES MATTER. But to each their own, I guess, when it comes to what they put into their bodies.

pennyk78

If I think of all the healthy people I know (that don't wash bananas) they've never had any problems. I don't wash any fruit, and apart from being over weight lol, I have never been ill from anything like this

deedeehawaii

If I think of all the healthy people I know (that don't wash bananas) they've never had any problems. I don't wash any fruit, and apart from being over weight lol, I have never been ill from anything like this

That is nice that you've never been made sick from eating unwashed fruit. Personally, I read way to many articles about food contamination to not try to be as safe as possible, within reason. I cannot imagine not washing fruits before eating them. It would be the same as .... using the restroom and then not washing my hands afterwards, or dropping food on a dirty public sidewalk and then picking it up and gobbling it down. UGH! Common sense about food safety is so basic.

marii92

This reminds me of an email I once received about how a woman died after drinking a can of soda. She died because rats had peed on the can. Although I always wash my fruits and veggies and wipe cans, from the very few times I've eaten bananas, I haven't washed them...but it doesn't matter for me. I absolutely detest bananas. They are disgusting *puke

deedeehawaii

EXCERPTS from About.Com: Nutrition
http://nutrition.about.com/od/ahealthykitchen/a/washveggies.htm?p=1

Do you know where your potatoes, oranges and tomatoes have been? Unless your fruits and vegetables are organic, they grew up in fields covered in pesticides and herbicides. Although the pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables are considered to be at safe levels for human consumption, do you really want those extra chemicals on your food?

Once your fruits and vegetables were ready for harvest, they were handled by several different pairs of hands in the fields and orchards, then in the warehouses, and finally again in your grocery store. Bacteria such as Listeria, Salmonella and E. Coli may all be lurking on your fruits and vegetables, whether they are organically grown or conventionally grown. These bacteria all cause food-borne illness and need to be washed away from your produce.

You need to get those fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet, but not the insects, chemicals and bacteria that come along with them so make sure you wash your fruits and vegetables before you eat them.

Wash all pre-packaged fruits and vegetables, even if the label claims they are pre-washed.

Wash all parts of your fruits and vegetables, even if you don't plan on eating them. Bacteria can live on the rind of an orange or the skin of a cucumber, for example. Though you may peel them away and toss them in the trash, the bacteria can be transferred from the outside of the fruit or vegetable to the knife you use to cut them, and then onto the parts you will be eating.

Remember that the fruits and vegetables you buy may look clean when you pick them out at the grocery store, but you can't see bacteria or chemicals. Your fruits and vegetables still need to be washed before you eat them or serve them to guests or family members. This is especially important for produce and greens that are eaten raw.

innerhottie

I have never washed a banana, but it makes sense.
I do wash melons and oranges before I cut them.

catherine1979

I'm totally neurotic, so I wash everything that comes in the house, I even wipe off the few canned goods we buy.

Whew, I'd feel safe eating at your house. I wash oranges, too.

Me too, I was all produce. I understand we need exposure to germs for our immune systems to function, but rat pee? No thanks. I should add, this only started after I brought home some bread and the bag was chewed though. Blech.

kgrutch

i dont wash my bananas but i recently learned some fun banana tricks.

if you grab a banana by both ends and pull hard it will break in half. we enjoyed the trick here in my house, lol. also if you have a softer banana peel it from the opposite end and it wont smush up.

BrendaLee

Guess who will be washing her bananas from now on? I say, why take a chance when it's so simple.

SHBoss1673

Well, I'll first be practical, I don't think I've ever eaten a banana right BEFORE my lunch. But I guess that's not the point. Any fruit that I will be eating the skin, I always wash, but Deedee, if you only knew how much rat feces and urine that the average American eats, you wouldn't worry about urine it on the skin anyway. Essentially Urine is sterile anyway, what you want to worry about is the feces, that's what carries the bad stuff. The only thing you can get from rat urine (or any animal for that matter ) is leptospirosis, and generally, the leptospirosis dies when the urine drys, it doesn't last very long in open air (a couple of minutes). Your more likely to get lepto from splashing in a puddle that a diseased rat peed into than from a banana that was peed on, on a cargo ship, FAAAAR more likely, and generally it's not a highly dangerous disease anyway (usually minor aches and chills, that goes away on their own).

You're far more likely to get the flu from the person next to you in the grocery store when you bought the banana's then from anything ON the bananas (or most fruits).

So I mean, YES wash fruit and anything consumed raw or unheated past 170 degrees Fahrenheit (the temp at which most bacteria dies), but don't obsess about it.

HealthyChanges2010

It would never occur to me to wash a banana. I'm not even sure it would even do any good.

I've been eating bananas for probably 32 years now (at least) and I haven't had any problems yet.

I concur, I don't eat the peel though.:laugh:

I do understand your food concerns but I know I can't watch every video on every thing around us or it will stop me from eating and that's as bad for me as eating to much. So I do appreciate you sharing but it won't be something I watch. I got to caught up in watching egg videos, stopped eating them right after (oh I eat them now though, the video is still tucked in my mind though..gah), same with beef, all the other foods we eat.

I think it's very good to be informed on what goes on around us but it can also make one paranoid too. I don't mean that statement to reflect you but ppl in general and I include myself in that.

Again I do understand your concern. But I peel my banana and wash my hands before eating food and during and after preparing it, (gets a bit crazy how many times we have to wash to feel ok about eating certain things...but I do it anyway if it's something that bugs me in particular)

I say if you feel more comfy rinse it off before peeling it but then you'd want to wash your hands again I imagine since you touched the peel? See it never ends...plus from other studies water doesn't really do as much as we think as they suggest scrugging veggies, apples and such so.

It's never ending, be interesting to see the input......oh look I see Banks commented, can't wait to read Always love your posts Banks, never know quite whats coming (meant in a good way!!)

HealthyChanges2010

Well, I'll first be practical, I don't think I've ever eaten a banana right BEFORE my lunch. But I guess that's not the point. Any fruit that I will be eating the skin, I always wash, but Deedee, if you only knew how much rat feces and urine that the average American eats, you wouldn't worry about urine it on the skin anyway. Essentially Urine is sterile anyway, what you want to worry about is the feces, that's what carries the bad stuff. The only thing you can get from rat urine (or any animal for that matter ) is leptospirosis, and generally, the leptospirosis dies when the urine drys, it doesn't last very long in open air (a couple of minutes). Your more likely to get lepto from splashing in a puddle that a diseased rat peed into than from a banana that was peed on, on a cargo ship, FAAAAR more likely, and generally it's not a highly dangerous disease anyway (usually minor aches and chills, that goes away on their own).

You're far more likely to get the flu from the person next to you in the grocery store when you bought the banana's then from anything ON the bananas (or most fruits).

So I mean, YES wash fruit and anything consumed raw or unheated past 170 degrees Fahrenheit (the temp at which most bacteria dies), but don't obsess about it.

ah the obsess about it part...... that's what I began to do when I started reading and watching more and I had to simply accept that there are to many things to keep track of and I had to stop obsessing, it's easy to slide over to that side for me.

Gonna grab a 1/2 banana to take to the gym with me this morning., partly why I wont' watch the video!:noway: :huh: :laugh: :flowerforyou:

HealthyChanges2010

This reminds me of an email I once received about how a woman died after drinking a can of soda. She died because rats had peed on the can. Although I always wash my fruits and veggies and wipe cans, from the very few times I've eaten bananas, I haven't washed them...but it doesn't matter for me. I absolutely detest bananas. They are disgusting *puke

darn it, I knew I should have eaten before I started reading the threads! :yawn: :noway:

HealthyChanges2010

Are you eating the peels? Are you not washing your hands regularly? Then what's on the outside of a banana really doesn't matter....

Scenerio: The average person washes their hands before lunch. They sit down to eat lunch. Lunch includes a banana. They peel banana with hands, and eat banana. They then eat sandwich with hands. They then eat carrot sticks with hands.

I surmise that the average person does not get up BETWEEN the banana and sandwich and carrot sticks to wash their hands. Get rat pee on your hands during the banana peeling, and it is with you through the entire lunch. Ditto for your kids. Send them to school with pee contaminated food, and see if they get up to wash after peeling the banana, and before the rest of the meal.

What is on the outside of food DOES MATTER. But to each their own, I guess, when it comes to what they put into their bodies.

\

ah and what about lettuce/salad type items, we better not get started on that, I'm having a yummy salad for lunch with a hardboiled egg. EEK

I know the stories on lettuce and such picked in the fields but again, I can obsses and so I have to simple do the best I can and be smart about it but not think to deep or I'd stop drinking my water as well. nah nah nah nah! Don't tell me about water! :glasses: :laugh:

Have a great day all! :drinker: :drinker:

HealthyChanges2010

I see I've now become obssesed about posting on this thread .....:noway: :ohwell:

leavinglasvegas

I'm not going to wash the video because stuff like thats makes me actually lose my appetite for a few days to weeks. (I'm not exaggerating.)

That being said, I wash everything! Especially in the top of the bananas where they all connect. I have a fruit scrub brush and I scrub. Rat pee was never the reason. Flies and other insects can lay eggs/larva in there. I don't want that hatching in my fruit bowl. I had a major fruit fly situation here and just recently a carpet beetle infestation. (BTW, I don't have a single carpet in my house. They came from the grocery store.) I've seen spiders and flies in even the biggest chain grocery stores. I've also seen birds that somehow get into Meijers and they can't get them out. They obviously eat, pee, and poop somewhere while they are flying around up there. Not to mention the hands of the workers who place the produce in the bins, the bins are not washed, stuff falls on the floor and is put back in the bin.....

The only thing I don't go crazy over is homegrown stuff. If your food is coming from healthy soil, there are good nutrients in the soil, you don't have to worry about pesticides or herbicides, or how long it was sitting out. A quick rinse is good, but that is stuff I can eat straight from the garden. Honestly, I think that is the best solution to the contamination problem. If we grow most of our own, we don't need to worry about all that stuff. (Samonella and e.coli in vegetables? Thats just plain nasty!)

I don't think I'm obsessive, just conscious of the reality around me. Many people can eat contaminated foods and say they were affected by it. I went to a friends house for dinner to find out he cooked the food before he went to work that morning and it had been sitting on top of the stove all day long. Thats how they do it everyday and none of them ever get sick. I knew I didn't have the tollerance for that. We all have different tolerance levels depending on our level of exposure. I don't deny that exposure is good. You can't shield yourself from everything all the time. But to me, there is a thin line between exposure and just plain nasty.

maurierose

Oddly enough, it just never occurred to me to wash a banana...... :huh: ..... but I wash fruits/melons/veggies I chop and peel, funny how some things you just never think of, that just don't cross your radar.... until now! Yes, think twice, but don't obsess..... :drinker: :happy: Guess it can't hurt to wash them or even give them a quick rinse before hanging them on the banana tree..... :bigsmile:

vanessadawn

We dont' have rats in Alberta
But no I don't wash it, it hasn't hurt me yet. Do you know certain foods like peanut butter have a certain percentage of bugs that are allowed to be in the product? You can't avoid all contaminants sorry to say.

wolf23

Can't say I have ever washed bananas, but I do wash melons and bagged salads even if it says they are prewashed or triple washed. Not sure why :ohwell:

deedeehawaii

The only thing you can get from rat urine (or any animal for that matter ) is leptospirosis,

Ah yes, lepto. Thus comes the warning from many parents in Hawaii to their kids, "don't put you head below water" when swimming in fresh water.

Just for interest, since the subject came up:
Leptospirosis occurs worldwide, but it is most commonly acquired in the tropics. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states 100-200 cases of leptospirosis are reported each year in the United States, with about 50% of cases occurring in Hawaii. From 1999 through 2006, 297 cases of leptospirosis were reported of which 286 were acquired through exposures within the state.Leptospirosis symptoms begin from two to 25 days after initial direct exposure to the urine or tissue of an infected animal. This can even occur via contaminated soil or water. Mortality rates for severe illness with leptospirosis can range from 5%-40%, depending on the severity of organ dysfunction and the patient's general health prior to infection.

deedeehawaii

The only thing I don't go crazy over is homegrown stuff.

Hawaii also, besides lepto, has rat lung disease. Home grown veggies (especially lettuce) need to be throughly washed, so that tiny infected slugs (a host) are not ingested. From our Dept of Health:
Do not eat raw or undercooked snails or slugs. If you handle snails or slugs, wear gloves and wash your hands.
Do not eat raw foods contaminated with snails or slugs. Wash produce completely, and boil snails, prawns, fish, and crabs for at least 3-5 minutes.

Another reason I wash all fruits and vegetables. Maybe I'm overly sensitive to the dangers due to living in a tropical climate, and hearing reports of lepto, rat lung disease, etc Then, seeing the video of the rats in the Hawaii market .... it is enough to make me turn on that rinse water!!! YIKES.

Of course, all areas have their problems. Such as, mainland states have problems with cow feces being washed into farmlands during rains, bring diseases.

Wash fruits and vegetables, to minimize exposure. Soooooo simple. :bigsmile: