That's Fit

There's no denying it -- some people seem to be prone to every kind of illness out there, while some are healthy as a horse. I tend to fall into the latter category -- besides one doozy of a cold I had last January, I haven't been sick in ages. But trust me, I'm exposed to just as many germs as anyone else, be it at the office, at the gym, at school and just about any public place I frequent.

AOL Health recently listed the healthy habits of women who never get sick, including these:

• Get regular massages (I really like this one!)
• Wash your hands
• Sip ginger and honey for stomach and bowel issues
• Take cold showers
• Get your fill of garlic, vitamin c and zinc

As for me, I find that the old adage an apple a day keeps the doctor away really works! How do you stay healthy?

If you've ever had a case of food poisoning, you'll know why it's so important to keep cooking surfaces clean and to properly wash your food. Every step you can take to minimize the spread of bacteria and viruses is well worth it. All You Magazine has 7 steps for germ-free cooking:

• Use separate cutting boards. Use one cutting board for meats and another for fruit, vegetables, and anything else. Avoid wooden cutting boards as they can trap bacteria. Be sure to clean your cutting boards thoroughly after each use.
• Scrub fruits and veggies. Even if it says pre-washed, take the time to scrub fruits and vegetables off. A good scrub will help remove traces of pesticides (if you don't buy organic) and any other residue on the produce. It's even a good idea to wash fruits that you peel (bananas, oranges, etc.) to avoid transfer of pesticides or bacteria.

We all want a set of beautiful pearly whites, don't we? But a white smile goes well beyond appearances; strong, healthy teeth are important for your overall health.

For sparkling white teeth, in addition to proper oral hygiene, avoid foods that can stain. The general rule of thumb is if it can stain a white t-shirt, it can stain your teeth. Coffee, red wine, and tea are common culprits.

But there are plenty of foods you can add to your diet to improve the health of your teeth. And -- bonus! -- the foods that are good for your teeth are good for your general health as well. Check out the gallery for a summary of the foods mentioned in the video.

'Do you mind if I double dip?' a friend of mine asked over shared appetizers and wine at one of our favourite restaurants. I replied as I always do: Of course not. I'm not a germaphobe, and even if I was, double dipping doesn't spread many germs, does it?

Well, actually, it does. According to this article from Prevention Magazine, double dipping deposits thousands of saliva bacteria into the dip, hundreds of which can be transferred onto the next clean chip or cracker. Yuck.

Still, a little bacteria won't hurt you if you have a normal immune system, but if you're concerned about germs, it's good to know what you're putting into your mouth.

There are 26 confirmed cases of food poisoning related to deli meats produced by a Canada-based Maple Leaf Foods plant. 12 of those cases have resulted in death. Listeria, the bacteria that was found in all of the people who contracted food poisoning, was detected in two beef products made at the Toronto plant.

The plant in question is closed while health officials inspect and test product until they're sure it is safe to reopen the plant. Maple Leaf Foods voluntarily pulled 220 products that are produced at the plant, a safety move that cost the company roughly $19 million.

There are another 29 suspected cases of food poisoning related to the tainted deli meats and health officials expect more cases will surface in the coming days.

Anyone who was scared off greens after the massive spinach recall two years ago might find themselves eating a big spinach salad soon. The FDA is allowing spinach and lettuce manufacturers to irradiate their products before they hit grocery store shelves. Irradiation, which is the process of exposing an object to radiation, kills dangerous bacteria like E. coli, salmonella, and listeria.

Irradiation won't sterilize the greens, but the FDA is hoping it will drastically reduce the risk of outbreaks like the one that killed four people in 2006. But critics wonder if irradiation is the answer. I worry that steps like this one will lull consumers into believing that the problems with our food safety have been fixed, and that it takes the focus away from farming and manufacturing processes that put us at risk in the first place.

It's not clear from the article whether irradiated spinach and greens will be labeled. Some people worry about the long-term health effects of eating irradiated foods, but the FDA assures consumers that there is no radiation left behind, nor does the process affect taste, texture, or nutritional value. What do you think?

It's already well into July, and I'm sad to say that the number of cookouts I've been to seems unusually low. One here, one there -- but not too many. Could it be that no one wants to bake in the sun? Or that everyone is "at that age" where other obligations must come first? Or is it that people just aren't feeling the cookout scene as much these days?

I'm sure it doesn't help that there's still been no conclusive determination made on the recent E. coli outbreak. Is it tomatoes? Is it cilantro? Is it hot peppers? No one seems to know for sure, which may explain why people seem a bit hesitant to take too many chances with their food. A smart move, too, since an estimated 76 million Americans suffer from food poisoning each year. And, as you might expect, most of these cases take place in the summer, when the rising temperature creates a party of its own for harmful bacteria.

But if you're determined to keep the summer cookout alive and well (and hope for the same for your guests), make sure you're doing what you can to keep your food safe. Self magazine offers the following tips:

• Marinade your meats in the fridge instead of the countertop, where bacteria can grow.
• Use a meat thermometer to determine if a food is properly cooked, because color isn't always a reliable indicator. 145 degrees for steaks, 160 degrees for burgers, and 165 degrees for chicken.
• Don't place other food on plates that held raw meat, poultry, or seafood. Also be sure to use clean utensils every time.
• Clean your hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling raw meat or poultry, or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer to kill germs.
• Store meat, poultry, eggs, cooked foods, fruits and vegetables, dressings, condiments -- basically, almost everything -- into a cooler as soon as possible to keep it safe.

Protect yourself in the outdoors, says The American Cancer Society (ACS) -- read all about it here -- and protect your picnic food too, say the cancer experts who are sending me an electronic monthly newsletter all about healthy living.

Warm weather poses a big threat of food-borne illness, according to the ACS. So: Keep bacteria away at your next outdoor feast with these five easy steps.

• Wash your hands before cooking and again after cooking, especially after touching raw meat. If you aren't near a faucet, grab a wet napkin or hand sanitizer -- they'll reduce the number of germs on your hands.

• Keep hot food hot. Hamburgers, hot dogs, and chicken should be kept at 140 degrees F or warmer.

• Keep cold foods cold. Even if you've got your food packed in a cooler, tuck it in a shady area. Keep at 41 degrees F or cooler.

• Wash melons before cutting them. This way, less bacteria will slip into the flesh from the rind when you slice them.

• Bring extra plates to cut down on cross-contamination. Use some to handle raw foods and others to handle cooked foods.

You use it every day to get clean. But could that shower poof of yours be harvesting dangerous bacteria that could affect your health?

Here's just about the last thing you want to find out now that the summer grilling season is in full swing ...

Men's Health reports that leaving a burger exposed to insects for as little as 30 minutes (which is very possible during a backyard BB-Q) can make it susceptible to E. faecalis, a nasty bacteria that's responsible for the majority of intestinal infections. Even worse, this specific type of bacteria is resistant to antibiotics, so don't expect any immediate reprieve, either.

Evidently, this risk is not limited to our backyard cookouts; 97 percent of flies, collected by Kansas State University researchers from major fast-food restaurants, also tested positive for the bacteria. Hungry yet?

It's easy to assign blame when it comes to our collective weight gain. Poor food choices, sedentary lifestyles, overindulgence, lack of sleep, etc. But what if there was something else going on? Something far less obvious as the reasons mentioned? It turns out there may be.

A recent study, published in International Journal Obesity, found that certain viruses and bacteria may also play a role in weight gain. Specifically, these microscopic belly expanders may affect our ability to absorb nutrients from food and influence hormones that regulate appetite and metabolic rate. In separate studies, researchers discovered that overweight people tend to have more of these particular types of viruses than fitter people, suggesting that a link between the two variables is not outside the realm of possibility.

Does this mean that viruses are solely to blame for the girth of our nation? I wouldn't exactly make that leap just yet. I think the aforementioned reasons -- poor food choices, sedentary lifestyles, etc. -- are far more likely to be causing us to run out of belt notches. Still, it's an interesting theory, certainly one that merits further investigation.

In this day and age, most everyone is doing at least a little something to benefit the environment. Whether it is as simple as participating in your town's mandatory recycling program or using environmentally-friendly cleaning products in your home, I bet you are trying to make a difference.

The buzz around green cleaning products is astounding; for years, there have been companies like Seventh Generation spearheading the green cleaning movement, while now we are seeing big chemical companies like Chlorox manufacturing environmentally friendly cleaners.

So this is all good, right? Some would say that this is still big business looking to make a buck, even though the environment and your health thanks you for using products like this. Why? Because there is a simple fabric that cleans and removes bacteria with only water. No chemicals or other solutions are needed. And it is probably right under your bottom.

Flush away the waste and everything seems fresh and lovely all over again, right? Not quite, says an article in Men's Health magazine, referencing a study published in the journal Applied Microbiology.

When a toilet is flushed, fecal-born diseases can be spread from your toilet bowl and take up residence on bathroom surfaces, which includes, but is not limited to, your body. And, if you happen to accidentally ingest some of these microscopic nasties, you can be exposed to several different strains of bacteria.

To help guard against the spread of this particularly gross form of disease, always close the lid to your toilet before flushing. And, as an added measure against the spread of bacteria, keep your toothbrush, brush, and other personal hygiene products stashed in the medicine cabinet or bathroom closet.

Yogurt is a tasty way to help reduce the risk of periodontal disease, says a recent report from the Journal of Periodontology.

According to the study eating as little as a half a cup of yogurt (about 55g) per day is enough to reduce your chances of getting this disease -- a chronic bacterial infection that affects the gums and bones supporting the teeth -- by almost 50 percent, thanks in large part to a probiotic found in most fermented milk products.

Popular health website RealAge.com considers the following brands to be among the healthiest yogurt choices: Dannon Light & Fit (regular, Carb Control, and Creamy), Stonyfield Farm MOOve Over Sugar, and Yoplait Light.

Did you have fun at the Memorial Day party you attended? I hope so. And what about the food - how was it? I hope great. Did you try any of the chips and salsa dip? If so, I'm sure they were delicious. All that crunchiness, the flavor of the salsa, and the 10,000 microscopic bacteria ... yummy.

Not that I'm pointing fingers at you necessarily, but chances are someone double-dipped at your Memorial Day party. And, more likely than not, someone will do it again at the Fourth of July party you attend, too. While double-dipping may seem more like a fairly innocuous, Seinfeldian faux pas, an article in the most recent issue of Women's Health demonstrates otherwise. Pointing to a recent study in the Journal of Food Safety, the article states that as many as 10,000 bacteria are transfered from a mouth to a bowl of dip when someone dips their chip too many times.

As for sharing beers, I can only imagine how many germs are swapped. Oh well, good thing you're usually with family and friends at these sort of events!!