Possible Listeria Contamination

Michigan
Firm Recalls Salad Products for Possible Listeria Contamination
01/27/2012 06:24 PM EST

18th Street Deli Inc., a Hamtramck, Mich., establishment,
is recalling approximately 118 pounds of julienne salad products with turkey,
ham and hard-boiled eggs. The salads contain eggs that are the subject of an FDA
recall due to contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.

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How about a Raspberry?!

These tiny berries are packed with vitamin C, fiber, and antioxidants to protect the heart and are one of the most nutritious fruits. Raspberries are the seventh highest fruit on the ORAC scale. Raspberries also contain high levels of ellagic acid, a compound with anticancer properties. They are also high in vitamin C and fiber and contain good amounts of iron. They do not keep long so should only be picked when ripe.

Rich in Vitamin C

Strawberries are very high in antioxidant activity and are extremely rich in vitamin C that helps to boost the immune system. They also contain other antioxidant phenolic plant chemicals such as antyocyanins and ellagic acid which can block cancer cells. When choosing strawberries, look for the plump and glossy berries. The dull ones are usually past their best nutritional life. Smaller strawberries tend to have higher levels of ellagic acid concentrated in the outer layer and they have more flavor.

Potential Salmonella Exposure

Winn-Dixie Issues Voluntary Recall On LEASA Brand Sprouts Due To Potential Salmonella Exposure
01/19/2012 12:15 PM EST


Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc., today announced an immediate Class I voluntary recall of all LEASA Living Alfalfa Sprouts sold in the 6 oz. package with a UPC code of 7546555912. According to the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), the product is potentially contaminated with Salmonella, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.

Iron Deficiency and Your Diet

Today a young man at my church and I were discussing anemia and his wife's battle to overcome it while not eating much red meat. I hope this helps the many who have the same battle with iron deficiency and anemia. There are several negative effects of iron deficiency and most are due largely to the impaired delivery of oxygen to the tissues and impaired activity of Iron containing enzymes in various of the bodies tissues. Iron deficiency can lead to anemia in additional to many other issues such as learning disabilities, impaired immune functions, and decreased energy levels. Iron deficiency is the most common cause of anemia. However anemia is the last stage of iron deficiency. It is recommended that the daily iron intake should be 10 mg in men and 15 mg for females. There are two kinds of dietary iron, "heme" iron and "non-heme" iron. Meme iron is that iron that is bound to hemoglobin and myoglobin. It is found in animal products and is the most efficiently absorbed form of iron. Non-heme iron is found in plant foods. Non-heme is poorly absorbed.

Here is a list of selected foods, in milligrams per servings, that contain iron.

Clams, cooked, 3 ounces 23.8 mg

Sirloin steak, cooked 3 ounces 2.9 mg

Lentils, cooked, 1 cup 6.6 mg

Tofu, firm, 4 ounces 6.6 mg

Quinoa, cooked, 1 cup 5.3 mg

Pinto Beans, cooked, 1 cup 4.3 mg

There is another cause of iron deficiency that is caused by a seficiency of any of servral vitamins and minerals. The most common are vitamin B12 or folic acid. It has been determined that the highest groups of the US population with liron deficiency are infants under 2 years of age, teenage girls, pregnant women, and the elderly. Your diet affects your iron levels and the ability of the body to obsorb the proper amounts of iron. Learn other factors that may cause this deficiency and anemia and change your lifestyle and diet.

Arthritis and the Effects of Fats and Diet

Are your joints out of joint? Is arthritis pain and swelling in and around your joints causing you daily discomfort? There is a connection to arthritis and fat that can be controlled by diet. Rheumatoid arthritis occurs when the immune system, instead of protecting the body, begins attacking the body. When these attacks happen, it causes swelling of the membrane that lines the joints. Eventually the swelling eats away at the joints' cartilage.

A diet of low saturated fats reduces the body's production of protaglandins, hormonelike substances that contribute to inflammation. A low-fat diet may hinder the communications sent by the immune system, thereby interrupting the body's inflammatory response and helps the joints to heal. If you want a very simple way to reduce your intake of saturated fats...just don't add them to food and foods you eat.

Simple ways to reduce fats include replacing butter, sour cream, and cheese with their lower-fat or fat-free counterparts. The fat that does help with relief is the omega-3 fatty acids you get from primarily cold water fish like Spanish mackerel, trout, and salmon. The omega-3 fatty acids reduce the body's production of prostaglandins and leukotrienes, both substances that contribute to inflammation. There are other specific food items that switch on the body's inflammatory response. Those items include wheat, dairy foods, corn, citrus fruits, tomatoes, and eggs. Knowing which foods, if any, to avoid can be difficult. Keep tract of what foods you eat just before each flareup of your arthritis. Avoid those and log your eating habits and find what does and does not cause flareups. After you have an idea on what foods cause flareups, stop eating them for 5 days to see if those are what are causing the problems.

Remember, fats and your diet can affect your arthritis.