Food Safety: Making Wise Choices

[Guest guest]

Food Safety: Making Wise Choices

 

With the recent news about carcinogens in farmed salmon and the

discovery of " mad cow " in the U.S., it's more important than ever to

make informed choices about the foods you eat.

 

Salmon

 

Salmon is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which can protect

against heart attack, stroke, cancer, and inflammatory diseases like

rheumatoid arthritis. However, the type of salmon you eat matters:

 

Much higher levels of toxins are in farm-raised salmon, including

dioxin and PCBs - both of which can cause certain types of cancer,

and can have adverse effects on the brain development of fetuses and

nursing infants.

 

Studies have shown that farmed salmon has more than 10 times the

amount of these types of toxins than wild varieties.

 

Farm-raised salmon also contains residues of antibiotics and other

drugs used to treat diseases that occur in the unnatural, crowded

conditions of fish pens. Farmed salmon are artificially colored and

generally have less omega-3 fatty acids in their tissue, and provide

less protein than their wild counterparts.

 

Salmon farming is ecologically disastrous, since the diseases it

generates infect (and might eventually decimate) wild populations;

the waste it produces pollutes coastal waters; and the feed fish it

requires hastens the depletion of the ocean's resources. (It takes

several pounds of feed fish to produce one pound of farmed salmon.)

Since salmon is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids - which you

should include in your diet on a regular basis - eat wild salmon,

preferably Alaskan.

If this is not available, you can get the same

omega-3 fatty acids from sardines and herring, as well as from

distilled fish oil supplements.

 

Beef

 

For a variety of reasons, people would do well to eat fewer foods of

animal origin in general, and less beef in particular. Some

potential problems can be avoided with the following measures.

 

To minimize the chance of exposure to " mad cow " disease (also known

as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, or BSE) follow these

guidelines:

 

Humans probably contract mad-cow disease by eating meat that

contains bits of brain or spinal cord tissue from infected cattle.

Avoid meat products likely to contain nerve tissue (hamburger,

sausage, and meat attached to the bone such as T-bone steaks).

Avoid any supplements - including some " anti-aging " or memory-

boosting products - containing animal tissue.

 

Avoid using bone meal and blood meal fertilizers - the import of

these products from countries with BSE is banned, but I still

suggest avoiding them. If BSE is present, you could inhale. The

infectious agent from the dust these fertilizers produce.

If you have to eat beef, try to get organic varieties. Organically

raised animals are not fed the dreadful feeds responsible for

transmitting BSE.

 

To avoid contamination from bacteria, especially dangerous strains

of E. coli, always prepare meat separately and cook meat thoroughly

before consuming it. Thoroughly clean any utensils used to prepare

raw meat, such as knives, before preparing other food items.

 

Chicken and Turkey

 

To avoid the risk of campylobacter, salmonella or E. coli.

infection, chicken and turkey need to be handled carefully during

preparation: Cut raw meat and vegetables on separate surfaces, wash

utensils carefully, and cook poultry thoroughly.

Buy organically grown chicken and turkey if you can, to minimize

consumption of antibiotic residues and other toxins found in

conventionally raised birds.

Eggs

 

To avoid salmonella enteritidis (SE), a common cause of food

poisoning with many cases traced to eggs, do the following:

 

Keep eggs refrigerated.

Cook them until the yolks are firm and cook foods containing eggs

thoroughly.

 

Be certain to clean off cutting boards and utensils thoroughly with

hot water after working with raw eggs.

 

Eat organically produced eggs from free-range chickens when

possible. They taste better, are more nutritious and are less likely

to have residues of antibiotics and other undesirable compounds.

Fruits and Vegetables

 

Produce is very nutritious, providing minerals, vitamins, fiber, and

protective compounds, but it can also harbor toxins and

contaminants. Try to eat organic produce whenever possible. Organic

produce is grown without the use of toxic agrichemicals. Inform

yourself about which fruits and vegetables tend to have the most

toxic residues (see the Web site of the Environmental Working group

in Washington, D.C., at www.ewg.org).

 

Even organic produce may harbor bacteria, so be sure to peel those

fruits and vegetables that can be peeled and to wash the rest before

eating. Use a small amount of diluted dish detergent and a vegetable

scrubber, followed by a warm water rinse to remove residues and any

food-grade wax.

 

There have been a few outbreaks of infections from lettuce

contaminated by E. coli. If your lettuce doesn't come out of a

sealed package, it is important to wash it in cold running water. A

good rule of thumb to follow is three thorough rinsings. (It's not a

bad idea to do this for lettuce that comes in sealed packages as

well.)

 

After working with raw meat or other animal foods, be sure to wash

your hands thoroughly with hot water along with all cutting surfaces

and utensils to avoid transferring bacteria from one kind of food to

another.

 

When eating out at a salad bar, make sure that the vegetables are

well chilled (kept over ice) and that the food is properly shielded

with a sneeze guard or hood. Avoid any items that look old or dried

out.

 

Dr. Andrew Weil

www.drweil.com

_________________

JoAnn Guest

mrsjoguest

DietaryTipsForHBP

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest