Beware of that pesticide lurking in the salad

AHMEDABAD: If you thought being a vegetarian and eating greens and fresh fruits would assure you of a lifetime of health, here is some food for thought.
Many vegetarians are discovering that despite their regular intake of salads, fruits and vegetables, they often fall prey to abdominal aches and infections of the digestive tract. And these could get as serious as a hydatid cyst in the brain or cancer of the colon, both of whose prevalence has increased in Ahmedabad and other cities.
Increased prevalence of pesticide-related contamination in vegetables has already disputed the innocence of the hitherto healthy salad.
Medical experts say that when unwashed and eaten raw, vegetables can lead to severe gastrointestinal infections. Indian Medical Association’s Ahmedabad president Dr Dileep Vaidya says, “We have observed that vegetables used in salads can be difficult to digest due to presence of pesticides and insecticides in them.�
Doctors generally advice that carrots, cucumber and all other vegetables should be peeled properly as eating them with the skin is not advisable anymore. The gastric juices are unable to penetrate the skin of these vegetables as they are laced with pesticides.
It, therefore, causes gastric problems and indigestion.
In fact, it is better to peel and wash them in warm water before eating them.
Gastroenterologist Dr Rupesh Mehta says that salads and improperly cooked vegetables can pose a health hazard even due to bacterial infections.
“There is a definite rise in the number of patients coming in with infections that originate in the abdomen. And, many of them are vegetarians,� he says.
Some of these infections, it is believed, are caused due to the use of contaminated water to wash vegetables. Such infections can be dangerous as they can even cause cysts in the brain, liver, kidney or intestines. The condition is caused due to the presence of animal faeces in water or due to unwashed vegetables.
Such cysts are called ‘hydatid cysts’ and are quite common in Gujarat and are mainly formed when goat or dog faeces contaminate water.
Doctors say they also see frequent cases of amoebiasis and G Lamblia, both caused by contaminated water. They are marked by colic pain and diarrhoea. And, amoebiasis in its extreme form can cause amoebic abscess.
Dr Nilay Mehta, a gastroenterologist, says that even when vegetables bought from a vendor appear to be clean, they should be washed thoroughly. “Often the infection is spread when vegetable vendors use contaminated or dirty water to wash fruits and vegetables. The infection can affect the kidney and even the lungs,� he said.
According to Dr Deval Parikh, contaminated food also causes allergic problems in the digestive system.
“There is no proof about pesticide content in vegetables but cases of chronic abdominal pain and problems such as colon cancer are on the rise in India. The reasons may be difficult to point out but wrong eating habits, unhygienic food may cause such problems,� he said.