Baking soda is effective at removing many pesticides from fruits and vegetables, offering an affordable cleaning option. Do you diligently scrub your produce? For some, the thought of scrubbing fresh fruits and vegetables for hours after a grocery run is daunting.  A quick rinse might suffice, especially if you purchase organic produce. However, if your produce is treated with pesticides, more thorough cleaning is necessary. Have you considered using baking soda? According to a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, baking soda can indeed eliminate pesticides from produce. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts demonstrated this by washing gala apples with baking soda. They applied thiabendazole and phosmet to the apples, noting that thiabendazole can penetrate the skin, while phosmet is a commonly used pesticide. There are three methods to eliminate pesticides from fresh produce: Rinsing with tap water Using a 1% baking soda and water solut...

Do you find yourself biting your fingernails throughout the day? If so, you're not alone. It's estimated that about one-third of adults continue to bite their nails. Have you ever considered the psychology behind nail-biting? Commonly, it's seen as a sign of nervousness and anxiety. This perspective seems logical, but it might not be the complete picture. A study in the Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry suggests that nail-biting could indicate perfectionism. Psychology Today defines perfectionism as "an endless report card on accomplishments or looks. It's a fast track to unhappiness and is often accompanied by depression." This article will briefly explore the study and what it means for those who bite their nails. We'll also examine nail-biting from a health standpoint. WHAT YOUR NAIL-BITING HABIT SAYS ABOUT YOU Body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) are "repetitive, injurious, and non-functional habits that cause significan...