Food Safety

[Guest guest]

Food Safety JoAnn Guest Feb 05, 2005 15:31 PST

 

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 contain 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. Never prepare other foods with utensils used to prepare

raw meat, such as knives, before cleaning them.

 

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. 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.

 

www.drweil.com

_________________

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

DietaryTi-

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Genes

 

 

 

 

AIM Barleygreen

" Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future "

 

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