12/06/2023
Studies have shown that eating lemon peel can prevent osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis and other bone conditions but, while incredibly healthy, the skin of lemons is generally covered in pesticides and fungicides to give them a longer lifespan – in particular, a fungicide named imazalil which is a real nasty beast.
As well as being bloody toxic, it is hormone disrupting, affecting the endocrine system which is responsible for regulating metabolism, growth and development. So, that slice of lemon you are putting in your hot water every morning could be doing you more harm than good.
And the worse news is, it's not just lemons. Most citrus fruits are coated in it and also, apples & pears - to be honest it could be on any fruit, so it's important to check labels.
The State of California classifies Imazalli as 'a chemical known to cause cancer.'
Oh, and just to outfox us all, Imazallie comes under a whole heap of other names :-/
And don't be fooled by an organic label - that doesn't mean something has not been coated in it.
I was all my fruit and veg, normally in a vinegar soak but for lemons, I soak them in bicarbonate of soda as you can see in the photo. This is because its alkaline nature helps to neutralize many common pesticides but NOT Imazalli.
The only real solution is to grow your own or buy from a reliable source because I don't think it's safe to ingest even the smallest amount of it and I really don't care what the government say is allowed. It's just bu****it.
The thing about lemons is, they contain over half the amount of vitamin C we need in our daily diets. Vit C is not just an antioxidant, which helps protect our cells from damage but it also helps us make collagen and helps to absorb iron, while supporting the immune system. So, it's pretty annoying to have great food sources tampered with like this - especially without being given the appropriate information so that we can make our own choice. In fact, I think it's downright criminal.
