e. coli-related stories
Pre-washed salads: A good idea or not?
Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment, Nutrition & Supplements
When I head to the grocery store, I can't help it. I'm drawn to those pre-washed bags of salad that offer so much convenience for just little bit more money. You see, most of the time, I'm cooking for one and it seems like more trouble than it's worth to wash the lettuce and spin it dry. OK, go ahead and do your judging but don't try and tell me you haven't been taken in by their charms.
Yes, pre-washed salads are a dieter's best friend. But are they worth the extra cost? Probably not, since experts in the UK are speaking out about them, calling them unsafe and blaming them for a potential rise in food poisoning cases, particularly instances of salmonella and E. coli contamination.
So save your money and do what I do now: wash all your lettuce as soon as you get home from the grocery story, and put it in your fridge. That way, fresh lettuce is readily available, and you can ensure that it's been properly washed.
Irradiated greens -- Coming to a store near you
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
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?
Tips for a germ-free cookout
Womens Health, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health
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.
Foodborne illnesses stay steady
Many moons ago I was fresh out of college and working at my first "real" job. The department I worked in had a potluck to celebrate some random event. Everyone brought in food, the boss had a few bigger items catered, and we all had a great time. (We usually did. It was an incredibly fun place to work.) The next morning I walked in to the office and there was barely anyone in my department. In fact, all the cubicles next to me were deserted. I wandered around and finally found six other co-workers. The other 30 some people in my department had called in sick. Seriously. In a department of more than 40 people, only six of us weren't ill. A few days later (after the rest of the staff had recuperated) we all compared notes. The six people who hadn't gotten sick were the only ones who hadn't eaten any of the giant catered sub sandwich. From that moment on, that sandwich was not-so-fondly referred to as the "salmonella sub."
Food poisoning is an unfortunately common occurrence. Rates of foodborne illnesses had declined for many years but, since 2004, they've remained steady. The CDC had aimed to greatly lower the level of such illnesses by 2010, but the stall in the decline is making that goal seem more difficult. CDC representatives say that we need to take greater measures with food safety. In 2007 there were more than 17,000 confirmed cases of foodborne infections.
The CulinaryPrep tumbler kills bacteria for a healthier kitchen
Reviews & Products, Nutrition & Supplements
This is one of those gadgets that you don't really need (just clean your kitchen and handle food properly) but you might want anyway. I'm not saying I necessarily want it, but guaranteed somebody out there does.It's called the CulinaryPrep and it claims to kill up to 99.5% of bacteria, including E. coli, salmonella, listeria, and others. For only $400 (whoa!) you can tumble your food to disinfected safety in a matter of minutes.
To me it seems easier (and it just makes more sense) to keep a clean kitchen and watch what your doing when you prepare food. Washing your hands and being careful not to cross-contaminate isn't that difficult, is it?
In the kitchen: urban myths debunked
Healthy Habits, Healthy Home, Diet & Weight Loss, Reviews & Products, Nutrition & Supplements
For instance, Teflon's got a bad rap lately because people fear that non-stick cookware can leach chemicals into their food during cooking. (I replaced my own non-stick with stainless a couple of years ago.) According to the most recent research, there probably isn't anything to worry about, but you should make sure to never let an empty pan on the burner, because in a situation like that, it can get hot enough to cause trouble.
More of your most burning questions are answered, such as: Is it ok to eat cookie dough from the tube? (No.) And should you wash that bagged lettuce one more time, even though it says it's ready to eat? (Yes.) You may not agree with their verdicts, but it's an interesting read nonetheless.
Is soap really self-cleansing?
Why do people forget all their clean habits at the petting zoo?
Healthy Habits, Diet & Weight Loss
We're getting pretty conscious of what good disease and infection control means in this country, what with instant hand sanitizers, toilet seat covers, and signs reminding us to wash our hands in public bathrooms. But somehow all that great effort flies right out the window when it comes to petting zoos, where the majority of safety precautions to limit people's exposure to organisms like E. coli, salmonella, cryptosporidium, and campylobacter are frequently not followed. The simplest of interventions, like washing hands when leaving the petting zoo, were not done by people as often as 77% of the time in a recent survey.Now that you know there's no excuses: wash your hands! And save the snacks and drinks for later.
Massive beef recall due to E. coli fears
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
The illnesses stemming from the Pennsylvania recall seem to all be connected to one restaurant where four or five customers got sick. Health officials say that because the number of illness is small and because exposure happened several weeks ago, that customers can feel comfortable eating at the restaurant.
Frozen beef products being recalled have the code "EST. 8264" on them and a date code of 118-6 or 4/28/06.
Herbal treatment may help treat UTIs
Womens Health, Diet & Weight Loss, Reviews & Products, Alternative & Green Health, Nutrition & Supplements
New research, however, shows that forskalin -- a common herbal extract -- excites cells and forces the bacteria back out into the bladder where antibiotics can reach it or where it can be vacated via urination. Though in testing forskalin was administered by IV or needle, studies are already beginning to see if the benefit can be found by taking the herbal remedy orally.
If forskalin works -- and it did appear to flush out 75% of bacteria in the study -- it would enhance the current regimen of antibiotic drugs used to treat infections, and lower the risk of side effects and drug-resistant bacteria as well. If you have recurrent urinary tract infections, talk to your doctor before taking anything new to treat them.
Food gone bad: Use your nose, or this simple test
Healthy Habits, Healthy Home, Diet & Weight Loss, Reviews & Products, Nutrition & Supplements
He's developed a test that takes a small amount of the food's natural liquid and mixes it with a solution. The solution changes colors -- in reaction to biologic amines that are a result of the spoilage process -- and the more spoiled the food is, the darker the color becomes. Lavigne hopes to develop a "dipstick" style test that would be easier to use.
Critics say the test, in general, is unnecessary. They say our noses should know when the food's gone bad. In addition, the test would only consider food spoilage. It could not, for instance, have predicted the E. coli outbreak of last year, or any other type of contamination. Whether or not you'd use this type of test, it's always a good idea to practice good food hygiene to prevent food poisoning.
Is your purse making you sick?
Healthy Habits, Diet & Weight Loss
Purses (and briefcases, backpacks, laptop cases, etc.) go with us everywhere we go and often get set down when our hands are busy. That means places like the floors of restaurants, bus stops, stores, and public restrooms...yuck! Basically, these catch-alls go nearly everywhere our shoes go, but yet we come home and set them on our counter tops and kitchen tables. I wouldn't think of setting my shoes there, but my purse? I do it all the time.
The article suggests we all start decontaminating our handbags. Frankly, I just can't see myself doing that on a weekly basis, but I am going to start thinking twice about where I set my purse. I nearly always hang it from an available hook or chair, but now I'll be sure to keep it off any questionable surface. Not only that, my purse will now have a home on my coat rack by my front door and never sit on my kitchen counter top again.
Kill kitchen germs with your microwave
Healthy Home, Diet & Weight Loss
Researchers at the University of Florida have discovered that microwaving can kill stuff. People have been sanitizing kitchen sponges in the dishwasher for years, but turns out the microwave may be a faster, and more effective, way to go. Nuking your sponges on high for two minutes kills and/or immobilizes (immobilizes?) 99 percent of the bacteria, including nasty ones like E. coli, viruses, and bacterial spores.
Even though the idea didn't occur to me before now, this makes total sense. We all know that heat kills germs, and the microwave is really just cooking your sponge. But after reading this I can't help but laugh -- I have this picture in my head of a bunch of scientists with white jackets and goggles huddled around a microwave with a little yellow sponge spinning around inside on the turntable.
Go science!
The Top 10 Health Stories of 2006
Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment
A lot of the news was good: vaccines to fight cervical cancer and to prevent shingles, a hopeful gene therapy to cure skin cancer, a step towards no-needle insulin administration for diabetics, and a battle won in the war on trans fats.
Some of the news was bad: the growing concern of MRSA infections, a rash of E. coli and salmonella outbreaks and raised concerns about food safety, and popular drug-coated heart stents that were found to be riskier than previously thought.
These stories created headlines this year -- but I'm curious: What was your favorite health news of the year? And what do you hope to see happen in health in 2007?
Advice from the FDA on preventing salmonella
It's a little scary these days with unlikely foods like spinach making people sick with E. coli, and then the salmonella outbreak affecting 171 people in 19 states. E. coli and salmonella are both usually found in meat and related products, but as proven by the recent produce-related cases it can be easily spread to other sources. As a result, the FDA has published suggestions on staying safe when handling and preparing food. Some is advice we've all heard before -- like making sure you cook all meat thoroughly and clean all kitchen surfaces to avoid cross-contamination. But others, like being careful to discard rotten produce or bruised parts of fruit, are a little surprising. Not that I keep that stuff around, but I definitely hadn't been thinking of it as possibly dangerous to my health.
