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October 20, 2011

Probiotics: Beneficial Bacteria for the Gut

Do you know the word probiotics? Maybe you’ve heard the terms healthy bacteria or friendly bacteria. You probably never gave a great deal of thought to your gastrointestinal tract or gut until the commercials for yogurt and yogurt drinks that promise to strengthen your immune system, help with regularity or replace healthy bacteria that were destroyed by antibiotics.

Your gut is the site of digestion, absorption, some immune function and elimination.

Healthy or friendly bacteria have various roles in the body. The friendly flora compete with unhealthy bacteria to help keep the body working as it should including regularity and a healthy immune system as well as take part in the production of folic acid and some B vitamins.

So what exactly are probiotics? Live microorganisms when given in adequate amounts can have a beneficial health effect on the body. However, there is no legal definition for “probiotic” in the US.

If you’ve decided to try a probiotics product, how do you know which one is the best choice? There are so many products on the market.

Here are three smart tips to help you make the right choice.

1. Probiotics are not all the same or equal. The health effect depends on the species and strain. Think of it like this. When you are sick with an infection that requires antibiotics, your doctor prescribes a particular antibiotic proven to destroy the bacteria causing the illness.

In other words, antibiotics are specific to certain bacteria. If you are prescribed the wrong antibiotic, the infection will not clear up until the correct antibiotic is give. It’s the same with probiotics.

*** Probiotics is a term we use very loosely  in the media and marketplace….a catch-all phrase for all so-called healthy bacteria. ***

2. Probiotics are categorized by group, species and strain. Probably more than you want to know but it’s important to at least grasp the idea. Consider Lactobacillus acidophilus GG. Lactobacillus is the group, acidophilus is the species and GG is the strain. GG is the strain with research behind it.

Whether probiotics are taken in food or supplement form doesn’t matter. But take a supplement with food as food helps buffer the probiotics against stomach acid so the healthy bacteria are not destroyed and make it to the intestines.

A good company will tell you the full name of the probiotic bacteria on the label or provide a website to check out or number to call for more information. Their research should also be available on the website to show that the probiotics actually work. Less reliable companies will not have this information available.

3. Probiotics or healthy bacteria can be destroyed by direct light and high temperatures, even during manufacturing so the actual probiotic count may be lower than what’s on the bottle or package.

Probiotics should be ‘live’ which means they still work so look for the words “live and active cultures” on the label. Be sure and check for a shelf life and how the product should be stored.

By the way, natural food sources of probiotics include yogurt, buttermilk, sauerkraut and kefir. A few of the probiotics-enhanced products with research behind them to check out for specific health benefits include the supplements Culturelle and Florastor and the food products Activia,  DanActive, Danimals, Yakult, Stoneyfield Farms yogurt and Attune cereal bars.

Remember, discuss with your doctor or health care providor which probiotic strain is right for you if you are using it to help treat a specific health concern. Check out the company’s website for specific information on the species and strain of the probiotics. Want more overall knowledge… take a look at usprobiotics.org

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

Listen to this week’s podcast


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


August 18, 2010

Your Pet’s Food Might Make You Sick…What You Need to Know

There are steps you can take at home to reduce the risk of food poisoning from pet food:

  1. You know this step but if you’re like me…have probably skipped it. Wash your hands or your children’s hands after you touch pet food and pet dishes. I can’t tell you how many times I have reached in the dry cat food bag for a few nibbles, given them to my cat and not thought about it.
  2. Clean pet food bowls and their eating area routinely.
  3. Avoid bathing infants in the kitchen sink and avoid cleaning pet dishes in the bathtub. This cuts down on cross contamination or bacteria from food that may stay in the bathtub or the kitchen sink and end up on the baby.

Have you noticed that food recalls have become much more frequent? Recently you may have heard about dry pet food being linked to salmonella, bacteria common in food poisoning. This particular outbreak affected about 80 people in the eastern US, 11 of whom were put in the hospital. Almost half of those who got sick were ages 2 and younger…yes…you read that right.

The children didn’t get sick from eating the dog and cat food but rather from touching it or the pet food dishes and then putting their hands in their mouths. The bacteria were cross-contaminated or transferred from the food or dish to the hands and to the mouth.

Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that heating during food processing typically kills salmonella germs and that contamination may have occurred during a later process where food was sprayed with flavor enhancers.

By the way, the CDC this week reported that poultry is still the leading culprit in food poisoning outbreaks. Beef and leafy vegetables were close behind.

Here’s the deal with reusable bags. Researchers tested 84 reusable bags for bacteria and found bacteria in all but one. Coliform bacteria, which is tied to raw meat or uncooked food, was detected in half of the bags with the dreaded and deadly E.coli in 12% of the tested bags.

What to do?

  1. Wash reusable bags regularly…toss them in the washer or hand wash if you prefer.
  2. Designate certain reusable bags for meat only and wash them regularly.
  3. Wash fruit and veggies when you bring them home BEFORE they go in the refrigerator, pantry, or fruit bowl. Remember that salmonella and other bacteria can be on the outside of your cantaloupe or kiwi and will contaminate the fruit when you cut it up.
  4. Keep separate reusable bags for other uses such as snacks, gym clothes, books, and shopping.

Think about this…reusable bags that are never washed are a breeding ground for bacteria. If you put raw meat and veggies in the same bag, cross contamination can occur.

Bacteria from the raw meat can get on the fruit and veggies that then take up residence in your refrigerator, fruit bowl, etc. As bacteria grow in the bags, your risk for potential food poisoning goes up.

For more ideas, listen to this week’s podcast.

Listen to this week’s podcast


April 14, 2010

Got Milk? Is it Raw or Pasteurized? Part 2

april-blogWith the trend towards locally grown, eco-friendly, natural food, raw milk is touted as being more healthful, better tasting and nutritious than pasteurized milk…but is it? Proponents of raw milk say it’s safe to drink…but should you drink it and give it to your family

Raw milk is milk that has not been pasteurized. It’s milk from any hoofed animal including cows, sheep or goats. Because of the potential for raw milk to contain a wide variety of bacteria including such suspects as:

  • Salmonella
  • E. coli
  • Listeria
  • M. tuberculosis
  • Campylobacter
  • Brucella

Public health officials for decades have expressed concern over drinking raw milk. Symptoms of illness range from:

  • vomiting
  • diarrhea
  • abdominal pain
  • fever, headache and body aches

However, people with weakened immune systems from HIV or autoimmune diseases or infants, young children, pregnant women and the elderly are especially sensitive and illness from raw milk can be very serious and result in death.

Joining me on the podcast to answer more questions about the raw milk movement is Dr. Ronald Schmidt, Professor of Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Florida. Dr. Schmidt has authored more than 100 scientific publications and presentations in dairy/food science technology, food safety, and microbiology, and is co-editor of the book, Food Safety Handbook.

Dr. Schmidt delves into these questions that you have asked?

  1. First, I have to ask this same question that I asked Joe Wright, the dairy farmer who was our guest last week. Do you drink raw milk or pasteurized milk and why?
  2. Proponents of raw milk say it is more nutritious with additional enzymes and healthy bacteria that are destroyed by pasteurization. Is one milk more nutritious than the other?
  3. Does raw milk contain antimicrobial components making pasteurization unnecessary? What effect does pasteurization have on milk?
  4. Dr. Schmidt, advocates of raw milk point to some studies where children drinking raw milk have less allergies, asthma and eczema. Where does the scientific community come out on this debate on drinking raw milk and giving it to children?
  5. What about cheese made from raw milk? Is it safe? I see dairies selling it at farmers’ markets.
  6. Do you think raw milk will become legal in Florida and other states?

What’s your opinion on raw milk? Post your comment on my blog and I’ll share some of them on an upcoming podcast.

Listen to this week’s podcast


April 7, 2010

Got Milk? Is it Raw or Pasteurized? Part 1

dairy farmer Joe Wright

dairy farmer Joe Wright

Raw milk is touted as being more nutritious than pasteurized milk…but is it? Proponents of raw milk say it’s safe to drink…but should you drink it and give it to your family?

You don’t want to miss this week’s podcast.  I dig into the questions about raw milk that you have asked and get answers from dairy farmer Joe Wright. Questions such as:

  • Joe…you’re a dairy farmer. Do you drink raw milk or pasteurized milk and why?
  • There is a large underground market for raw milk with people selling it as pet food yet humans consume it. Would you explain this?
  • Some farmers sell both raw milk and pasteurized milk…is that correct?
  • Can you really insure that raw milk or cheese made from raw milk is pathogen-free?

Joe has traveled a very interesting path from the firm to the farm. He grew up in Florida and attended the University of Florida law school. Ok, so I went to The University of Tennessee and he IS a gator…but I won’t hold that against him. While practicing law specializing in health care, he met his wife, the daughter of a dairy farmer. The rest, as they say, is history.

After spending time working with his father-in-law on the farm, he knew he could never go back to an office. Passionate about dairy farmers and active in their industry, Joe serves as first vice president of Dairy Farmers, Inc., Florida’s milk promotion group.

Raw milk has been making headlines lately from proponents who feel it’s not only safe to drink but boosts the immune system and shouldn’t be banned. On the flip side were reports in the media last week of an outbreak of campylobacteriosis in Michigan from raw milk with symptoms of diarrhea, fever and abdominal pain.

If you ask 10 people if raw milk is safe to drink, you would probably get 10 different responses. So today and next week we’re delving in to what the evidence-based science says about raw milk and whether it’s safe to drink or a setup for illness which could be potentially deadly.

Listen to this week’s podcast


September 2, 2009

Is Your Kitchen Sponge Making You Sick?

spongeCan you believe it’s September already? Labor Day weekend is almost here and many of you will be having some type of party or family get-together. With all the media attention I know you have the swine flu, colds and the regular flu on your mind but food recalls and food poisoning are right up there in importance. Eating and hosting functions at home are on the rise due to the tight economy. Many people are not aware of basic steps to prevent food poisoning in their own kitchens. Did you know that bacteria are not only found in food but lurk in your kitchen sponge and on your counter tops?  The last thing you want to do is send anyone home with food poisoning.

Let’s scrub up on food safety with some easy tips to keep your kitchen clean and safe and your family healthy. So how do you stay healthy and prevent food poisoning without becoming germ phobic? I’ve compiled tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the USDA and the FDA. Their websites have a lot of info if you want even more tips.

  1. Let start with your kitchen sponge. If you use a sponge or a dish cloth in your kitchen, wet it and toss it in the microwave for one minute on high every day, run it through the dishwasher daily or sanitize it in water with bleach. If you use it to wipe up raw meat juices, wash it out with soap and hot water and nuke it again. Or use recycled paper towel so you can toss it. Not as green an option but a safe one. If you use a dish cloth and this goes for dish towels as well, use a fresh one each day and wash the dirty ones in hot water. You know what I’m talking about…..that dish cloth or towel that stands on its own and is stinky….bacteria heaven. And while you’re at it sanitize the sink when you’re done in the kitchen. Wash it with hot soapy water or bleach water…about 1 teaspoon of bleach per quart of water…it’s cheap and easy. You can mix it up in a plastic spray bottle to keep on hand.
  2. When you walk in your kitchen at home or at work, the first thing I want you 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 in the kitchen or food anywhere for that matter. This is a very easy way to cross contaminate or spread germs from one item to something else…in this case, the keyboard to the cutting board or counter or microwave…whatever you are using or to the food itself. So wash well, count to 20…you know…1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi. Or use a hand sanitizer if a sink isn’t available.
  3. I’m sorry I even have to mention this but washing hands after a visit to the bathroom is not even worthy of a discussion…just do it….many people don’t and germs transfer from the door handle to your hands and then to everything you touch and eat.
  4. Do you use the microwave most every day to cook your breakfast sandwich or frozen dinner? Then you don’t want to miss this tip. Many people just toss the item in the micro for a little while and think they’re good to go. Not so. Microwaves can cook unevenly and leave cold spots in your food where bacteria can survive. It’s really important to follow the directions on the package of the item you’re cooking. These items have been tested and the microwave cooking directions are specific to them. Standing time is important as cooking actually continues during this time. You want the item to be cooked completely through and reach the necessary internal temperature to prevent food poisoning. It’s a smart idea to have a food thermometer. This way you can check the internal temperature which in most cases should be at least 165 degrees. You can find food thermometers in hardware stores, kitchen stores or house wares departments and they’re inexpensive.
  5. Now it’s important to wash your watermelon and cantaloupe, citrus and other melons before you cut them. Why? Remember that you cannot see, taste or smell bacteria but it’s there. We know now that bacteria hang out on the skins of watermelon and cantaloupe and if you don’t wash them, guess where the bacteria go when you cut into the fruit with a knife? You got it…right into the flesh of the fruit and then you eat it.

    Now that produce comes from all over the world, it has many opportunities to become contaminated. My motto has basically become to assume the produce is contaminated and wash it before you eat it. Wash all products from apples and carrots to kiwi, grapes and berries…doesn’t matter what it is. Even if you plan to peel it, wash it first because of what we just talked about.

  6. And last but not least…how long can food sit out at your party, in front of your TV, or on the counter before bacteria starts to grow? Two hours and that’s it…then it needs to go in the fridge or else be on ice or heated to maintain a safe temperature.

Be smart and savvy when it comes to protecting your health and your family’s health from food poisoning and the often severe illnesses that can result. Put these tips we’ve talked about into action and help keep the bad bugs at bay.

Listen to this week’s podcast


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