Buying clean veggies and eating clean salad

[InterestedSugoya]

I plan on eating a lot of salad and vegetables and making vegetable juices while in Thailand (will eat meat too, just trying to limit 7-11 dependence).

 

I know that here in New York (just like in the rest of the USA) we have issues with pesticides and things like that, but we try to buy organic or buy from a reputable source to limit those dangers.

 

What do you folks do in Thailand? Do you just run the greens underwater and add them to the salad, or do you mostly avoid eating uncooked green leafy veggies? Do you use some sort of vegetable-wash solution? Or do you just eat it all and hope that your digestive system is strong enough to combat any challenges that may arise?

 

Do you have a go-to veggie source that you've never gotten sick from? If so, I'd appreciate you posting it or sending a private message. Thank you.

[jak2002003]

There are more places to buy food than 7 / 11 here you know.  There are so many restaurants, Thai street vendors, cooked foods of the Thai markets etc etc.

 

You can also buy organic vegetables from any supermarket and also Royal Projects stalls on most Thai food markets.  It's really not difficult.

 

I just buy normal chemical toxic vegetables.  Wash them under the tap.  Never used special vegetable shampoo or anti chemical potions.  Also eat the vegetable raw... like nearly every day.  15 years here full time and have NEVER got sick from eating fruit or vegetables from Thai market, street vendor or supermarket.  

 

Relax... no need to panic!!!

 

 

[Airalee]

I eat salads every day (make them at home) and just rinse the lettuce with tap water and pat it dry with a paper towel.  Never made me sick.  Can’t vouch for the authenticity of the “organic” claims however.

[sirineou]

1 hour ago, jak2002003 said:

There are more places to buy food than 7 / 11 here you know.  There are so many restaurants, Thai street vendors, cooked foods of the Thai markets etc etc.

 

You can also buy organic vegetables from any supermarket and also Royal Projects stalls on most Thai food markets.  It's really not difficult.

 

I just buy normal chemical toxic vegetables.  Wash them under the tap.  Never used special vegetable shampoo or anti chemical potions.  Also eat the vegetable raw... like nearly every day.  15 years here full time and have NEVER got sick from eating fruit or vegetables from Thai market, street vendor or supermarket.  

 

Relax... no need to panic!!!

 

 

 I am no expert on the subject but I remember reading an article  at a competing publication so i don't think I can post a link, where 64% of all vegetables tested at popular supermarkets were unsafe to eat do to pesticides.  

Simply do a google search "pesticides vegetables thailand" plenty of returns on the subject.

below is a Youtube vid on the subject

 

 

[tutsiwarrior]

a lot of the local green leafy salad veges go right thru me (green leafy bowel movements) even after washing thoroughly so I've moved to broccoli and cucumber salads (separately) with a light rice vinegar dressing ( available at makro whisked with salt and sugar)...this even includes the hydroponic 'european' salad greens at tescos that I wash anyway...I found that the lighter vinegar based dressing helps the digestion...plus an oil based vinaigrette can make things soggy very quickly...the vinegar only dressing also helps to keep things nice and crisp overnight in the fridge...

 

gonna start growing my own salad greens soon....found a place down the local market that has romaine lettuce seeds...also sweet basil and some other stuff...

 

 

[InterestedSugoya]

Thanks for the replies. I know that there are more places than just 7-11, but I didn't want to make the post too long and that was the easiest go to answer for describing "processed foods". I myself only got sick once from eating pineapple on the street in Bangkok.

 

Sirineou, thank you for posting the video. Given that information, how do you go about consuming vegetables?

[adammike]

I got a water cooker, I wash the vegatables in tap water and a few at a time I blanch them in boiling water for a minute max drain them and lay them on a plate then dress them with e.v.olive oil and Cider vinegar.you can do it with most of the veg in the markets (aubagine is an exception)

[james.d]

I wash leafy greens in the vegetable soap then into a salad spinner.

[Seligne2]

You might look at for some info on organic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_cuisine#Agricultural_chemicals

[jak2002003]

10 hours ago, sirineou said:

 I am no expert on the subject but I remember reading an article  at a competing publication so i don't think I can post a link, where 64% of all vegetables tested at popular supermarkets were unsafe to eat do to pesticides.  

Simply do a google search "pesticides vegetables thailand" plenty of returns on the subject.

below is a Youtube vid on the subject

 

 

Yes I read about that a few years back.

 

It was interesting that the more expensive supermarkets had more chemicals on them.

 

It was also interesting that the imported vegetables had the highest concentrations of chemicals... I see a lot is imported form America and Europe.. where they are supposed to have stricter controls.

 

It was also relevant that the study did not say if they washed or peeled the vegetables.  Most of the chemicals are concentrated in the peel and skin of fruits and vegetables... and usually when we eat them we peel them anyway... as well as wash them.... so I think the dangers are being blow up here... and I have not noticed a mass sickness or die off of the general population here due to pesticides in vegetables.  

 

[InterestedSugoya]

17 hours ago, adammike said:

I got a water cooker, I wash the vegatables in tap water and a few at a time I blanch them in boiling water for a minute max drain them and lay them on a plate then dress them with e.v.olive oil and Cider vinegar.you can do it with most of the veg in the markets (aubagine is an exception)

Thanks for the suggestion. Seems like we'd be killing off some nutrients here, but it's better than knowingly eating pesticides without even trying to limit the amount found on the veggies.