E.Coli : What You Should Know and How To Protect Yourself

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Over the past few weeks, Europe and particularly northern Germany has had an E. Coli outbreak that has killed 35 and infected over 3,000 people. There have been other E. Coli cases reported around Europe but the worst has been seen in northern Germany. The initial reports were that cucumbers imported from Spain, could be the culprits of this outbreak. Tomatoes and lettuce were also suspected and people were advised to not consume raw vegetables. The Spanish government denied that the tainted vegetables came from Spanish. Later Spanish cucumbers were not found to be the source of this E.Coli outbreak. All of the confusion and lack of information as to where the source of the deadly outbreak came from has led to produce from Europe being banned around the world. Then of Sunday, June 5th news outlets were reporting that German bean sprouts were identified as the source of the E. Coli outbreak. The Guardian reported the following, “The state of Lower Saxony issued an urgent warning to stop eating bean sprouts on Sunday as it believes them to be the link between all the restaurants and food outlets in the outbreak. “ The German government was still urging people to avoid eating raw cucumbers, tomatoes and salad leaves. As of late Monday, June 7th, news outlets and German officials were reporting that beans sprouts were not the source of the deadly E.Coli outbreak but still not giving them the all clear. We are left with the source of the deadly outbreak still yet to be firmly proven.

Although the E. Coli cases have affected only those in Germany living in the area of the outbreak as well as visitors to northern Germany, as someone who lives close to the outbreak I have some questions and concerns. The Czech government has been taking action and removing suspected items from store shelves, But whenever there is an E. Coli outbreak and until the source is firmly identified my concern is how to keep my family from being infected. Luckily my local produce stores (greengrocer), always identify were the produce was grown or shipped from. That is great information that can come in handy in times like this. But in cases, such as this, when the suspected source of infection is not clearly identified or initially identified incorrectly one needs more information to take further steps to keeping safe.

I did some research to help us all make wise choices in protecting and preventing our families from E. Coli. I discovered that this bacteria does not only exist in fruits and vegetables but in meats as well. Any of the aforementioned as well as infected people can spread the E. Coli bacteria. According to WHO (World Health Organization) this bacteria gets into fruits, vegetables through “…contamination may be due to contact with faeces from domestic or wild animals at some stage during cultivation or handling. EHEC has also been isolated from bodies of water (ponds, streams), wells and water troughs, and has been found to survive for months in manure and water-trough sediments.”

The recommendations are to always and throughly was fresh vegetables and fruits with clean water before eating. It is also advised to avoid raw or undercooked meats, and raw milk because they carry a higher risk. WHO also recommends using good hygiene, such as washing hands throughly before handling and consuming food. (They also remind people to wash their hands properly after using the toilet, but I know we all know this already and don’t need to remind you.) They go on to further explain that “The only effective method of eliminating EHEC from foods is to introduce a bactericidal treatment, such as heating (e.g. cooking or pasteurization) or irradiation. ” They, WHO, recommends people follow their local government guidelines in case of an outbreak.

If you still have some concerns or there are small children, elderly, or people with a compromised immune system in your home I would also recommend the following options. Frozen, canned or preserved fruits and vegetables are also a safe option. The food labels will often have the date they were packages and country of origin giving one a more sense of security over not consuming possibly contaminated fresh produce. Since frozen vegetables are quickly blanched, i.e. cooked, before being frozen this should kill the bacteria. Plus they will receive additional cooking time when they are heated in your meals. As for canned vegetables, “Most microorganisms do not survive the commercial canning process, although canned vegetables may contain botulinum toxin. Contaminated canned vegetables are usually easy to recognize and signs include a bulging can, foul odor and spurting liquid when the can is opened. Contaminated fresh vegetables normally display no visible signs.” Source Live Strong.com

Even if you do not live in Germany it is best to know how to prevent and protect yourself and family from E. Coli. These outbreaks happen the world over and it is always wise to keep oneself informed. So remember wash to fruits and veggies well before eating or cooking, do not cross contaminate foods with kitchen utensils, do not undercook meats and wash your hands throughly before handling and eating food.

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Ukrainian Hangover Cure Cocktail

New Years eve is in a few days and you know what that means, party time! It's the last night of the year to let loose, have fun, really enjoy yourself and get the new year off to a great new start. It's the next morning, the first morning of the new year, that many of us will be hungover and saying I will never drink that much again. OK, we all say that and then we go doing it again and we somehow forget the horrible hangover that will need nursing the next day.

There are several things you can do to prevent a hangover from starting. Besides the obvious of not over drinking, the first and most important thing is staying hydrated. My husband taught me this trick and always works, you just have to make sure you follow it. Drink equal amounts of water for every alcoholic drink you put in your body. So you drink 1 glass of red wine, drink 1 large glass of water and so on. Water will flush the alcohol out of your body faster and help it stay hydrated which is the most important thing for your body. The next thing is food. If you have a hearty amount of food in your stomach, I'm not talking about a salad, you will feel better and you shouldn't get sick. Well, unless you over do it with the alcohol and of course that will make you sick to your stomach whether you have a hearty meal or a salad in your stomach.

If you wake up on January 1st and you are horribly hungover, you know that throbbing, pounding headache, sour stomach, feeling lethargic there are some things you can do to feel better. Again drinking lots of water and getting food into your stomach will help you feel better, so start with that even if you are not hungry force yourself. (Take aspirin only after you've had food because the acid can irritate your stomach even more.)

The next trick or cure again comes from my husband. One day, while feeling horrible from a night of drinking, he was having lunch with a Ukrainian friend who could see he was hangover. She suggested that he try this special Ukrainian cocktail to treat his hangover. The waiter brought out this beautiful flute glass filled to the rim with a yellowish-green liquid. At first he hesitated to drink it because he was informed that indeed it was pickle juice. Pickle juice? Huh? Like from a jar of gherkin pickles? Yup! So he chugged it down...as fast as he could so as not to spit it back out. You can imagine getting a whole glass of pickle juice to go down can be hard, not to mention the sour puckering that will leave your face looking like it's being sucked in from somewhere inside your head, while your lips look like they are being sucked out by an invisible vacuum. Within a few minutes his sour upset stomach was gone, completely back to normal. Then adding food and lots of water and he felt so much better.

All you do is pour the pickle juice into a glass and drink. Make it pretty by adding a slice of pickle for decoration, how about some ice cubes too? It's all about the presentation, well whatever helps trick your mind into drinking it. While it may not be the most delicious tasting drink in the world, OK it's kinda gross just picturing it going down your throat, this does work. So if you find yourself in a hangover situation and you try this special pickle juice cocktail let me know how you liked it and how it worked for you. *To clarify any confusion when I say pickles I mean dill pickles or cucumber pickles, though I don't see why other types of sour pickled veggies wouldn't also work.*

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Drinking is good for your heart and waistline???

I bet you never thought you would hear that drinking is good for your heart and waistline. Ladies this one is for you. According to Reuters news agency and a report published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, women who are light to moderate drinkers are less likely to gain weight. ( Light to moderate meaning 1 to 2 glasses a day). The study focused on 19,000 plus American women over a 13 year period and compared women who are light drinkers to non- drinkers. The study found that light-moderate drinkers were less likely to gain weight and less likely to become obese over time. It was red wine that they found to be the healthiest, as compared to beer and spirits that have actually been linked to causing the highest weight gain. In a report by Times Online they state the following :

"The research suggests that a calorie from alcohol has less impact on weight than a calorie from other foods and that the way the body deals with alcohol is more complex than realised. One theory is that in regular drinkers the liver develops a separate metabolic pathway to break down alcohol, with surplus energy turned mainly into heat, not fat."

In other studies red wine has been found to boost blood flow to our brains and to help lower the risk of heart disease. Some research has shown that red wine helps prevent blood clots and reduce the blood vessel damage caused by fat deposits.

Have you ever heard of the "French Paradox" ? French people have a very low occurrence of coronary heart disease and obesity even though their diet is high in saturated fats that is found in cream,cheese, butter, Pâté and so many other amazing French dishes. Some of the main factors as to why French people are thinner than other countries are smaller serving sizes, the use of Olive oil and of course Le Vin Rouge (red wine). French people drink wine with their meals and also cook with it, so they are ahead of this study. The French Paradox is a very interesting subject to read about, there is so much information out there so if you're interested do a quick search.

Now I'm not suggesting that everyone should start drinking every day. Moderation is always the key, not just with alcohol but as we all know with food - to much of anything is never good. Remember first you need to consult your physician to see if this is something you could benefit from.

Being that red wine is my favorite alcoholic drink , this report is great news to me. Having lived in Paris for some time I was greatly influenced by the French tradition of enjoying a glass of red wine with my dinner. So if you'll excuse me while I sit here and enjoy my amazing glass of Syrah, Santé! or a votre santé ! ( To your health!! now how perfect is that. )

**Please read the links above for more information and exact numbers on this study**

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