Food Safety | How Big Is Your BUT? Blog

February 23, 2012

Nutritional Tricks for Pregnancy’s Unmentionables

Are you pregnant? Hoping to get pregnant? Have a friend who just found out she’s pregnant? My guest on the Straight Talk about Eating Smart podcast this week is registered dietitian Tara Gidus. She is the nutrition advisor for American Baby magazine and currently appears biweekly as the “Diet Diva” on the national morning television show, The Daily Buzz.

Tara is author of Pregnancy Cooking and Nutrition for Dummies and answer some of her most asked questions such as what foods should a woman avoid when pregnant. Tara talks about the importance of cooking your meat until it’s well done and eating cheese or drinking milk and juices that are all pasteurized.

Why you might ask? Food safety is critical for both Mom-to-be and her unborn baby. Practicing smart food safety measures helps to prevent serious food poisoning with bugs such as E. Coli and salmonella.

What about those “unmentionables” of pregnancy like gas, nausea, vomiting, and constipation? Tara says to help with nausea, be sure and keep food on the bedside table to eat before getting out of bed…items such as crackers or toast. Small, frequent meals not only help with nausea and vomiting but keep energy levels up.

Say the word constipation and most pregnant women will groan. It’s a big issue. Fiber intake along withadequate fluid from all sources, not just water, should be addressed early on. Fluid can include milk, juice, and decaf tea/coffee in addition to water.

Did you know that breast-feeding helps to drop those pregnancy pounds?

Want more information? Listen to this week’s podcast below.
Listen to this week’s podcast

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November 27, 2011

Fish Tales: Is the fish you buy really what it’s labeled?

Did you read the fake fish story? An article in Consumer Reports (December 2011) discusses the purchasing and testing of 190 pieces of seafood from retail stores and restaurants throughout New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Don’t miss this: more than one-fifth of the fish pieces were mislabeled as different species of fish, incompletely labeled or misidentified by employees. Has this ever happened to you?

Consumer Reports sent their fish samples to an outside lab for DNA testing. We’re talking fish forensics! Researchers take genetic material from the fish and compare it against standardized gene fragments similar to genetic fingerprints used in crime investigations.

Guess what they found out?

Only four of the 14 fish types were identified correctly (sea bass, coho salmon, bluefin and ahi tuna).
18% of the fish samples didn’t match the names on menus, labels or placards. Fish were passed off for grouper, catfish, red snapper, yellow fin tuna and others.
From a health standpoint, one fish sample labeled as grouper was really tilefish, which is on the Food and Drug Administration avoid list for children and women of childbearing age due to the mercury content.

Why does this matter to you? If you bought an expensive piece of fish and it was actually a cheaper species, your wallet was impacted. But what if you bought fish containing potentially health-harming mercury or PCBs? Then your health comes into play. Or, maybe you try to buy sustainable seafood and were given a species whose numbers are on the decline.

Besides better inspections, what can you do to reduce the chances that you pay for mystery fish?

1. Be an informed consumer. The more questions you ask at the fish counter or the server at your restaurant, the more serious companies become in their purchases and inspections. Restaurants and grocers know that consumers today have quick access to helpful information.

2. Check out the free FishPhone app from Blue Ocean Institute, a quick guide to help you make sustainable selections when you eat out or shop. I use this app and it’s so easy. Next to all the choices is a fish symbol varying in color from bright green for a safe choice to red for don’t even think about it. You can search for fish or check the A-Z listing. When you touch the fish name, a quick review pops up so that you can make a smart choice right then. The app even includes fish recipes and wine pairing suggestions.

3. Send a text while you stand in front of the fish counter and make sure the fish you plan to purchase is eco-friendly and without a health advisory. This very cool text tip is also from blueocean.org.

Text 30644 with the message FISH followed by the name of the fish you want to buy…for example, FISH scallops or FISH salmon. I sent a text for FISH grouper and received a text within seconds telling me all things grouper that I needed to know.

How do you know where your fish is coming from?

The Country of Origin Labeling called COOL, which was developed by the USDA, requires all large retailers (supermarkets and big box stores) to disclose the country of origin of fresh or frozen fish and whether it is farm-raised or wild-caught. Seafood standards are often higher in the United States than in other countries so when you purchase ‘locally’, you may reduce the likelihood of contamination from toxic substances that are illegal in the U.S.

Exemptions of COOL: The law does not require restaurants or small fish markets to disclose the country of origin on the label.

Want more? Listen to this week’s podcast below.

Listen to this week’s podcast

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October 6, 2011

Listeria: Preventing Food Poisoning

What are your thoughts about so many food items being recalled for contamination? Currently, grape tomatoes, ground beef and cantaloupes are several of the items recalled for bacterial contamination. Tyson Fresh Meats Inc. has recalled 131,000 pounds of ground beef for potential contamination with E. coli O157. This form of E. coli is potentially deadly. No doubt you’ve heard about the deaths resulting from cantaloupes contaminated with Listeria or what’s referred to as listeriosis.

Just what is listeriosis? A serious infection usually caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, listeriosis, like E. coli mentioned above is ugly and can be deadly.

So what signs should you watch for if you think you’ve consumed a tainted cantaloupe? First, and don’t miss this… it’s really important. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Listeria symptoms may not show up for up to two months so don’t forget this if you consumed a cantaloupe from the recall list and start to have any of these symptoms. Listeria bacteria can grow in the cantaloupe at room and at refrigerator temperatures.

Symptoms of listeriosis include:

Fever and muscle aches

Headaches, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions

Diarrhea and/or other gastrointestinal symptoms

Listeriosis is an invasive infection: means the bacteria spread beyond the gastrointestinal tract.

What can you do day-in and day-out to keep yourself and your family safe from potential food poisoning resulting from E coli, Listeria or other dangerous pathogens? These recommendations from the CDC may sound silly or like no-brainers but you would be surprised how many people do not follow proper sanitation when they touch or handle food.

Wash raw fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water before eating, cutting, or cooking. Even if the produce will be peeled, still wash it.

Scrub firm produce such as melons and cucumbers with a clean produce brush.

Dry the produce with a clean cloth or paper towel.

Separate uncooked meats and poultry from vegetables and fruit, cooked foods, and ready-to-eat foods.

Wash hands, knives, countertops, and cutting boards with hot, soapy water after handling and preparing uncooked foods and raw produce.

Obtain a refrigerator thermometer and check the temperature. The refrigerator should be 40°F or lower and the freezer 0°F or lower.

Clean regularly the inside walls and shelves of your refrigerator with hot water and liquid soap, then rinse.

Cook raw food from animal sources, such as beef, pork, or poultry to a safe internal temperature. For a list of recommended temperatures for meat and poultry, visit the safe minimum cooking temperatures chart at FoodSafety.gov.

Forget about relying on the color or look of meat to tell you if it’s done. A look-see is not accurate at all. If you don’t have a food thermometer, get one. It’s one of the best investments you can make and the only way to know the real temperature.

Check out this quick video on ways to protect yourself and your family from food poisoning. Let these tips become part of your routine every time you touch food!

Want more? Listen to this week’s podcast below.

Listen to this week’s podcast

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August 25, 2011

Are Germs Lurking in Your Lunch?

Did you hear that a study from the University of Texas published in the journal Pediatrics tested over 700 lunches belonging to preschoolers and found that 98% of the perishable products such as meats, vegetables and dairy products were in the unsafe temperature zone or rather the zone for growing bacteria? This danger zone is from 40-140 degrees so room temperature falls in this range.

What does this mean? If you’re packing lunches and they remain at room temperature for over two hours the food may become a breeding ground for bacteria. It’s a must-do to include a couple of cold packs and freeze items such as grapes, juice packs or bottles of water that will thaw as the day wears on. All of these tricks matter when it comes to keeping food safe.

Let’s scrub up on food safety:

1. If your children or you take a packed lunch, first find out if there is an option to put the lunch in a refrigerator. If not, the best lunch box choice is one that’s insulated plus will hold several cold packs. Cold packs tucked around the perishable items sounds like overkill but it’s the safe way to go. Freezing items such as grapes and juice boxes also helps keep perishable items cold. What items do you freeze?

2. What about preventing food poisoning at home with produce you purchase for lunches? Wash fruit and veggies when you bring them home BEFORE they go in the refrigerator or fruit bowl. Why? Salmonella and other bacteria can be on the outside of your cantaloupe or kiwi and will contaminate the fruit when you bite or cut into it.

3. When you walk in your kitchen to make lunch for the kids or yourself or when you eat lunch at work for that matter, the first thing to do is wash your hands. You would think washing hands is a no-brainer but you’d be surprised how many people use their computer keyboard, cell phone, TV remote or other items known to be covered with bacteria and then touch food. This is a very easy way to cross contaminate or spread germs from one item to something else. Use a hand sanitizer if a sink isn’t available. No need to become germ phobic just be smart about what you do and you lower the risk that anyone gets sick.

As we’re getting ready for fall schedules, last weekend I made a batch of Banana, Date & Walnut Muffins and put them in the freezer. Some of my college roommates are coming for a visit and I want to have some breakfast and snack muffins on hand. The muffins are naturally sweet from the dates and bananas and make a nice lunch box treat.

Want more? Listen to this week’s podcast below.

Listen to this week’s podcast

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February 23, 2012

Nutritional Tricks for Pregnancy’s Unmentionables

November 27, 2011

Fish Tales: Is the fish you buy really what it’s labeled?

October 6, 2011

Listeria: Preventing Food Poisoning

August 25, 2011

Are Germs Lurking in Your Lunch?

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