That's Fit

Chicken satay, gooey pizza slices, marinated beef kabobs, turkey drumsticks -- sounds like a summer festival! Food tents run rampant through my hometown of Chicago during the summertime, especially at the famous Taste of Chicago, an easy 5,000 calorie day.

Considering you'll probably feel sick after downing all those calories, check out these tips to lower your chance of contracting a nasty case of festival food poisoning, too. It's rare, but it happens. Bacteria grows on food twice as fast when temperatures rise.

• Don't try cold food that's been hanging around outside unrefrigerated or hot food not on a heat source.
• Beware of vendors transporting cooked food onto plates/platters originally holding the raw food. Double dipping utensils between raw and cooked foods is also a big no-no.
• Do not succumb to trying samples of food that a vendor has been holding out to lure customers. You have no idea how long it's been off the heat source or out of the fridge.
• Salads with protein (e.g., chicken or shrimp), alfalfa sprouts and raw meat/shellfish harbor the most bacteria -- maybe not the best purchase from a food tent on a hot day.

Be assured, the major food festivals have food inspectors regularly visiting and monitoring temperatures and food prep/handling. Make sure you do your part and wash the festival frisbee grime off your hands before eating!

When I was young, we had a German Short-haired Pointer and it was my job to feed him one night. I came back in the house and made a slightly strange comment about the dog's food smelling kind of good. My brother -- prankster that he is -- dared me to eat some of it. I flat out refused. But he had the dog-food-eating bug by then so he grabbed a handful for himself. The thought of that still grosses me out. For good reason.

A recent outbreak of salmonella has been traced to the handling of dry dog food. This is the first time a link between dog food and human disease has been discovered. Approximately 70 people contracted salmonella from dry dog food produced by Mars Petcare's Pennsylvania plant. No dogs were reported to have contracted the illness. Many of the people who contracted salmonella from dog food were three years old or younger.

A little over a week ago I took my son out for a celebration of sorts. I brought him to one of those video game/pizza places. He'd been begging to go for months and I kept putting it off by saying "that's not an every day place -- that's a special occasion place." So, when a special occasion rolled around I couldn't exactly get out of it.

My son had a blast. And I'm glad. I, on the other hand, didn't enjoy it at all. I was troubled when I picked up our food tray and it was sticky. I was bothered by the station with puddles of spilled soda. And our pizza ... well, it looked good and smelled good, but some smarter part of my brain told me that something wasn't right. Unfortunately, my stomach spoke louder than my brain on that day, and I ate the pizza. And later on, well ... let's just say I wish I had listened to my brain.

Food poisoning, a type of gastroenteritis, is a pretty common affliction. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle aches, shivering, and fatigue. Food poisoning is caused by improperly cooked food, spoiled food, or food prepared in unsanitary conditions. There are steps you can take to avoid food poisoning, however.

A report released by the health advocacy organization, Trust for America's Health, finds that the US food safety system is lacking. Problems include out-of-date laws, inconsistencies within the system, and inadequate use of resources.

The report implies that the US food safety system is disjointed -- with more than 15 federal agencies playing some role in food safety. In addition, the report suggests that food safety needs to be more preventative than reactionary. For example, though the possibility of terrorist action infecting our food supply is known, very little has been done to prevent such a threat.

Suggestions for improvements include:

• Inspect foods through the entire production process.
• Update inspection procedures as changes occur.
• Establish standard practices of authority for recall and penalties.
• Improve inspection of imported foods.
• Increase FDA funding.

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.

I've had food poisoning a few times in my life, and the experience is not something I'd ever want to repeat. From undercooked meat to bacteria-ridden vegetables, food poisoning cases happen every single day around the world.

But, once you're over it, do any of the effects of food poisoning stay with you long afterward? According to scientists, they indeed do. In fact, contracting E.coli can lead to health problems months or years after battling with the bacteria.

The scientists did localize their findings on severe cases of E.Coli in children who otherwise survive their fight with the food poisoning bacteria only to have serious health problems later. Kidney problems, high blood pressure and ever kidney failure were referenced as possible future health problems.

Although the U.S. has about 76 million cases of food poisoning per year, these serious health effects are said to comprise a small minority of those cases. Still, a small amount could mean a million cases (or more). With last year's rash of food recalls, one has to wonder if these health problems will become worse in the near future.

It's pretty bad when there is an E.Coli contamination that's found in beef supplies in the civilized world -- but it's rather odd and comical when a possible contamination is found in beef that was stolen.

That's what the USDA reported this past Thursday, as14,800 pounds of stolen beef were referenced in a public health alert (not a recall). A refrigerated trailer owned by Texas American Food Service Corporation was stolen with the beef on board, probably to be fenced somewhere in California. That was a joke.

So, with a "public health alert," the USDA basically is saying they have no clue if the beef will end up in the U.S. food supply -- but when it does, better watch out for signs of E.Coli contamination -- like potentially severe stomach cramps, diarrhea and dehydration.

Another food recall is in the works, as General Mills began recalling up to five million frozen pizzas yesterday sold under the Totino's and Jeno's labels. Cause: possible E. coli contamination.

So far, information suggested that certain lines of pepperoni from a General Mills plant in Ohio may have been contaminated with the bacteria, which can cause extreme illness but generally is not fatal except to those with weaker immune systems.

Here is the list of frozen pizzas that were recalled along with the UPC numbers for each.

• Totino's Party Supreme, 42800-10700
• Totino's Three Meat, 42800-10800
• Totino's Pepperoni, 42800-11400
• Totino's Pepperoni, 42800-92114
• Totino's Classic Pepperoni, 42800-11402
• Totino's Pepperoni Trio, 42800-72157
• Totino's Party Combo, 42800-11600
• Totino's Combo, 42800-92116
• Jeno's Crisp 'n Tasty Supreme, 35300-00561
• Jeno's Crisp 'n Tasty Pepperoni, 35300-00572
• Jeno's Crisp 'n Tasty Combo, 35300-00576

I think there's a little germophobe in all of us, I mean who isn't grossed out by the average public restroom? Germs, viruses, and bacteria are all around us, and although we can never eliminate them completely there are things we can do to drastically reduce their numbers and our exposure in key areas like on toothbrushes and doorknobs. You might be surprised at how many handy gadgets are out there to help, including things you've probably heard of before like toothbrush sanitizers to things you may not have -- like the handy PursePal that keeps your bag off the floor in restaurants and bars.

See this slideshow for all kinds of great germophobe-friendly ideas and products.

Los Angeles Salad Company, out of California, is recalling all of its packages of baby carrots labeled "Genuine Sweet Baby Carrots" with a 'sell by' date up to (and including) August 16th due to the possibility that they are contaminated with Shigella bacteria. The packages were sold in Colorado, California, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina and Florida with the "Los Angeles Salad Company" brand name, and in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon and Washington under the brand "Trader Joe's."

4 people have become ill in Canada and investigators are still trying to determine the source. Shigella bacteria infections can cause bloody diarrhea, fever, nausea, and vomiting -- if you find any of these carrots in your home don't eat them (obviously) and return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.

We're not talking about fatty foods that clog arteries, or salty foods that raise blood pressure, or anything that causes severe allergic reactions -- we're talking about food-borne illnesses and the foods that carry them. We've had beef scares, spinach scares, peanut butter scares, and there are more to come you can be sure. As long as there are bacteria on this planet there will be the risk of it getting into our food.

eDiets has compiled this list of 13 foods that are commonly or most at risk for causing illness. Some are not surprising, like rare hamburger or raw wild mushrooms, but what about Caesar salad dressing, veggie sprouts, and even water?

So what isn't risky these days?

Botulism hasn't been seen in commercially canned goods since the 1970s, but it recently reared its ugly head in some hot dog chili sauce products and sent 4 people to the hospital. Botulism is caused by the bacteria Clostridium and works by paralyzing muscles. All 4 people (2 kids in Texas and a couple from Indiana) are expected to fully recover.

The warning and recall apply to 10-ounce cans of Castleberry's, Austex and Kroger brands of hot dog chili sauce with "best by" dates from April 30, 2009 through May 22, 2009. They were canned in Augusta, GA, and Castleberry is cooperating fully with the FDA and CDC investigations.

This is scary -- why now, after all these years?

Have you had a summer picnic yet? Unfortunately, I don't think food safety is on the mind of the family gathering organizer that includes potato salad and hot dogs. After all, we don't have portable refrigerators with us at the park, nor do we have the timing needed to cook foods properly to minimize the risk of food poisoning. Well, some of us, anyway.

How about outdoor parades and civic events where food is served? It makes me nervous to eat butter in a restaurant (when I do eat it) if it has been sitting at room temperature for hours. In fact, it's amazing more of us don't get sick due to food temperature and handling problems that seem to be rampant once you open your eyes.

Maybe we all have good immune systems, but that's hard to believe. Anyway, if you're attending some kind of outdoor venue where food is served and you don't see normal processes in place to safeguard food quality, be wary.

There was that whole "kitchen sponge fires in the microwave" fiasco a few months ago, and now the issue is coming back around again: just how good is the microwave at killing bacteria anyway?

Don't worry, we're not going back into the sponge thing again. Instead this time researchers looked at the ability (or lack thereof) of the microwave to kill harmful bacteria in food. Many people assume and rely on the fact that cooking food in the microwave is the same as cooking it anywhere else: the bacteria die and the food is safe. But that's not always the case. In fact, experts found that more cases of food poisoning occur after eating microwaved meals compared to food cooked in the conventional oven or on the stove top. The reason seems to be that microwaves have a tendency to leave "cold spots" where bacteria thrive.

So make sure you rotate and/or stir all food cooked in the microwave, and if it's something at all questionable maybe using the conventional oven would be better.

With all the recent food poisoning scares and recalls in the news lately I'm not exactly sure where this bit of news fits in, but a new test has been developed that allows for much faster detection of salmonella in meat. Obviously when it comes to perishables like meat, the faster the fresher so that's definitely a good thing. But on the other hand although this new test is faster it's not necessarily better. The results from the new test were "comparable" to the old methods, just quicker. Currently it takes as long as 5 days (why so long?) compared to only 12 hours if they switch to this new method.