08/04/2025
sharing from my friend and YL Brand Partner, Shannon Hudson
n Apeel, Pesticides, Critters, Fungal & Mold Spores? 🤢 Gross. What’s Really Hiding in Your Produce 🍓🧼
🚨 OK, fair warning... this is an 8-minute rant.
Put your seatbelt on, grab your oils 🧴 and a snack 🍿, because
I. AM. DONE. 🙅♀️
I just CANNOT with all the garbage they throw at us anymore.
Like, at what point did we go from “🍏 eat the apples off the tree after rubbing it on your shirt” to “🍓 your strawberry has a plastic coating & tastes like a sponge”? 🤨
They’re not just slipping in a little junk here and there anymore.
Nope.
They are sneaking entire toxic ingredient lists into your food 🧪, spraying unpronounceable science experiments on your produce 🧬, and then acting like you’re the crazy one for asking questions.
AND THEN...
They slap a “safe” label on it...with zero long-term safety data 📉, no independent testing 🕳️, no transparency 🚫, NOTHING.
Just a “trust us” from the same people who thought margarine was a superfood. 🧈💀
Like... am I supposed to just smile and say,
“Thanks so much for that unlabeled endocrine-disrupting synthetic coating, Big Food. Please pass the fake butter 🧈 and genetically modified corn 🌽 while you’re at it”?
ABSOLUTELY NOT. 🙅♀️
💬 The FDA: “It’s safe.”
💬 Me: “Cool, show me the 10-year safety studies.”
💬 The FDA: “We don’t have any, but it seems fine.”
💬 Me: “Y’all... you said the same thing about trans fats, aspartame, and a dozen other things we now regret.”
Make it make sense. 🧠❓
I'm not here for your science experiments 🔬.
I’m not here for your “edible coatings” 🍎🚫.
And I’m SURE not here for your “trust us” PR campaigns funded by the very companies selling this trash. 🗑️💸
NO THANK YOU. ✋
My digestive system isn’t your testing ground 🧍♀️🧪.
My kids aren’t your lab rats 🐁.
And my apples 🍎 don’t need armor 🛡️.
Can I ask...
🧁 Why is bread 🍞 not molding anymore?
🥛 Milk can stay “fresh” for 2–6 months!! How is that normal??
Do you remember pouring lumpy, spoiled milk 🥴 on your cereal 🥣 as a kid??
Like... you never forget that trauma. 😩
🍇 Let’s talk about why your fruit goes bad before you can even eat it.
Want it to stay fresh longer ➝ without mystery coatings or chemical grime?
🧼 Start with the wash.
Most people think it’s all about how you store your fruits and veggies and that’s a huge part of it ➝ let me know if you want a video 🎥 on how I ingredient and meal prep!
Truth?
Spoilage often starts before you even put them in the fridge 🧊.
✅ Apeel: Invisible. Uninvited. Everywhere. Even on organic produce.
✅ Pesticide Residue
✅ Dirt & Debris
✅ Fungal & Mold Spores
✅ Critters, Bugs & Microscopic Hitchhikers
✅ Synthetic Wax Sealants
✅ Chemical Film from Shipping & Storage
I’ve always been a water + apple cider vinegar 🍎 kinda gal...
But “THEY” have upped the game ➝ so I had to level up too. 💅
That’s where Thieves Fruit & Veggie Soak comes in clutch. 🧽💧
I am in love!!! This little bottle of plant-powered brilliance 🌱 removes wax, dirt, and all the gross stuff that water and my lovely apple cider vinegar just can’t touch.
🧪 Why it works (and why it’s way better than water or ACV):
➡️ Decyl Glucoside ➝ A plant-based surfactant that breaks surface tension and lifts off grime, wax, and pesticide residues
🌱 Natural YES: This sudsy superstar is made from sugar and coconut, not petroleum. It’s gentle enough for baby shampoo but tough enough to lift pesticide residue and wax off your food. No drama. Just clean.
➡️ Citric Acid + Sodium Citrate ➝ Gentle chelators that help break down tough films and mineral deposits
🍋 Natural YES: Not all citric acid is created equal. Some is made from black mold and GMO corn (hard pass)➝but not this one. Young Living’s formula uses plant-derived, non-GMO citric acid to gently break down surface grime without the gross.
➡️ Essential Oils ➝ Thieves, DiGize, and Purification blends = clean, fresh, and anti-all the nasty trying to seep into your digestive system via all your produce!!
🌿 Natural YES: These aren’t fragrance oils. These are serious botanical powerhouses➝like clove, lemon, rosemary, peppermint, anise, and citronella➝designed to fight the funk hiding in your produce.
➡️ Glycerin ➝ Helps dissolve oily residues and rinse clean without weird film or flavor
🌾 Natural YES: Young Living uses vegetable-derived glycerin, not petroleum or animal fat. It helps lift the oily, sticky stuff off your apples and grapes➝then rinses clean without leaving any residue behind.
🥄 ACV is great for your salad and your scalp… but when it comes to produce, it doesn’t break down waxy coatings or synthetic preservatives the way this soak can.
🔬 Several oily mamas have done the “grape test” side by side with water, vinegar, and Thieves soak➝and the Thieves soak made the grapes actually feel like grapes again. Not weirdly rubbery or slick. Just juicy, clean, and snack-worthy.
🧼 What about pesticides? Here’s the deal:
🔬 Produce washed with surfactants + acidifiers (like those listed above) have been shown to remove up to 80–90% of surface pesticide residues➝especially the oily, waxy kind that sticks to apples, grapes, and cucumbers.
So yes, Thieves Fruit & Veggie Soak absolutely helps.
❌ What It Can’t Remove:
Systemic pesticides
These are absorbed into the plant’s tissues during growth. They’re inside the cells, not just on the surface➝so no wash (not even boiling water or vinegar) is going to get those out.
Genetically modified or chemically treated seeds
Again, washing won’t reverse what was done before the fruit grew.
This soak is a tool, not a miracle, but it’s a mighty good one.
Buying local or organic is still best when possible, but washing smart gives your produce the best chance at being clean, safe, and long-lasting.
🧐 What is Apeel? (And why should you care?)
Apeel is a post-harvest coating made from mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids➝and no, that does not mean it’s healthy just because it has the word “fatty acid” in it.
Let’s clear this up:
These aren’t omega-3s or healthy fats your body needs.
They’re highly processed emulsifiers, made by chemically modifying oils (usually soy, canola, or other industrial seeds) into shelf-stable coating agents.
The same type of compounds are used in:
🚫 Frosting and peanut butter (so they don’t separate)
🚫 Fast food buns and tortillas (to keep them soft for months)
🚫 Creamy junk foods (to mimic texture without using actual cream)
Now they’re rubbing that stuff on the outside of your produce.
YES, even organic!!
🫢 Here’s the problem with Apeel, it’s not just what's in it... it’s what it does.
Apeel coats your produce in an oxygen-blocking film, literally sealing it off from air.
Sounds smart, right? Keep oxygen out ➝ slow spoilage.
Except… that’s not all it slows.
❌ It also stops the fruit from breathing.
❌ It halts the natural ripening process.
❌ It eliminates key enzymes your body’s supposed to get from real, fresh food.
❌ It traps moisture inside, creating internal rot while the outside still looks “fresh.”
That’s why your avocado stays hard for two weeks and then goes brown overnight.
Why your bananas stay weirdly green.
Why your produce looks alive on the outside, but is nutritionally dead on the inside.
Those enzymes?
They're part of nature’s design. They help you digest food, absorb nutrients, and support your gut, brain, and hormone health. And they’re supposed to show up when fruit ripens naturally.
But when you coat it in a suffocating film to fake shelf life,
you’re not getting vibrant, living food anymore—you’re getting a waxed-up placebo.
It’s marketed as a way to make fruits and veggies last longer, but here’s the kicker:
❗ It’s applied to both conventional and organic produce
❗ It’s not required to be labeled in the U.S. unless you happen to spot a sticker
❗ And it’s darn hard to wash off with just water or vinegar
In short: It’s invisible, greasy, synthetic, and completely uninvited.
😡 Is it dangerous? “They” say no.
But let’s consider the source...
The same folks behind this say a lot of things are “safe.” Meanwhile, our food is more processed, less nutritious, and covered in more chemicals than ever before.
Apeel was backed by Bill Gates and others who openly advocate for population control. 🚫
(Yeah… let that marinate for a sec.)
There are zero long-term studies on what happens when you eat this stuff daily for years.
❌ No data on cumulative buildup
❌ No data and what it will do to our children.
❌ No independent research on digestion, hormone effects, or gut health
Just a whole lot of “Trust us.”
🛑 For me and my house?
That’s a big fat NOPE.
Keep your hands off our food!!
We’ll wash it, grow it, or peel it ourselves, thank you very much.
⚠️ Thieves Fruit & Veggie Soak is one of the few natural options that can actually help strip it off.
Why? Because:
✔️ The surfactant + citric acid combo breaks down the sticky emulsifiers
✔️ The essential oils (like lemon and peppermint) are lipophilic, meaning they dissolve grease and film
✔️ The results? Produce that feels, smells, and tastes like food again➝ not rubber
We cant stop them from adding it, but we sure as heck can get it off and not consume it!!
👩🔬 Bonus Tip: Double Soak That Produce
If you’re dealing with thick skin or Apeel, do this:
Soak in Thieves Fruit & Veggie Wash for 2–3 minutes
Scrub gently with a soft veggie brush
Rinse thoroughly
Repeat the soak for 2–3 more minutes to really break down that synthetic film if needed.
💡 Kitchen Tip:
Wash your haul the second you get home.
Toss it in a soak (just 1 oz per gallon of water), let it sit for 2 minutes, rinse, and dry.
This one step:
✔️ Extends freshness
✔️ Keeps your family safer
✔️ Makes you actually want to eat your veggies
HERE IS THE ONE I USE:
🧴 Thieves Fruit & Veggie Soak
🛒 17.5 oz bottle = over 14 gallons of produce soak
💰 Loyalty Price: $21.75
🚫 No synthetic junk, no endocrine disruptors, no weird aftertaste
🗂️ Item #: 48374
Plant-based. Powerful. And a total kitchen must-have.
👇 Are you already soaking in Thieves?? Did you know it removed, like allllll the things?? Was this the reminder you needed??
Who’s grabbing a bottle (or two)?
💧 We even make a spray bottle version for when we’re out and about, hello, snackin’ off the vine!!
🧺 If you want the recipe or a peek at how I prep every single piece of produce on Sunday afternoons so it stays fresh and crisp all week long ➝ just say the word. 🙌
Did you miss me????
Was it 8 minutes of worth your time????
