Washing your Veggies

Winter's here!!!! Well, wanted to post some very important information about washing vegetables with hot water (I know how tempting that sounds in this cold weather!)
Well, there are two things to consider while washing vegetables with hot water:

The first thing to remember is that Vitamins B and C dissolve in water, so on prolonged washing of vegetables with water, or even washing for short periods with hot water may effectively remove the vitamins. This is important especially for green leafy vegetables.

The second very important thing to consider is plumbing. Yes, you read that right! Plumbing. Older pipes contain lead in them. Lead has a very unique property. It is insoluble in cold water but dissolves in hot water. Lead is a carcinogen and is extremely toxic. So, each time you wash your vegetables, or for that matter, use hot water from the faucet to cook, remember, there is a strong possibility that you have some lead in there!!!!! If you are one of the lucky few who has new lead free plumbing, you can definitely use hot water from the faucet to cook, but remember, vitamins still dissolve better in hot water than cold!

Some interesting reads:
Lead poisoning and plumbing info sheet
Drinking water and Lead