Even healthy foods pose risks
A few days ago, we discussed the scary tale of E.coli contamination in hamburgers and some of you commented that you had gone vegetarian to avoid the recent meat scares.
Well, turns out veggies can be bad for you too. Leafy greens, tomatoes, even sprouts are among the 10 foods that pose the biggest risks of food poisoning, according to a new report from the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest. These 10 foods account for nearly 40 percent of all foodborne outbreaks linked to FDA-regulated food, the report found. Jeesh.
Leafy greens top the list, followed by eggs and tuna, foods with nutrients that doctors have told us for years are essential for good health. Cheese, a great source of calcium, came in at #6 and berries -- loaded with antioxidants -- round out the list at #10. Also on the list: oysters, ice cream and potatoes.
Together, the 10 foods resulted in more than 1,500 outbreaks, responsible for nearly 50,000 reported illnesses, according to the center. Many more illnesses may go untreated and unreported, so the figure may actually be much larger, the center said.
So, let's get this straight. We've been told that processed foods are bad and meat has its risks, but now that veggies are getting a bad rap, what exactly are we supposed to eat?
The folks at the center say don't abandon healthy options on the list. With so many healthy foods on the list, the watchdog group is urging congress to pass legislation to reform the nation's "fossilized food safety laws."
In fact, the news comes a day after the FDA and the USDA announced it was joining forces to enact new food safety rules for fresh produce.
OK, cool, but what shall we eat for lunch -- today?
Baltimore Sun photo









Comments
I think the most dangerous food is meat as it destroys humanity and lead to wars and destroys all ultimately.
Obesity & Magic Pill :
I personally recognize that wheat is a far better diet than meat on the ground it normally exits body with ease and rapidity, and we are well aware that our heath depends upon smooth metabolism and blood stream associated with the immune system and how important our daily workout is, as well.
I still think the critical conditions mostly come from breach of our immune system, and the food that stays long in the body is more likely to become a source where germs, bacterias, viruses and the like multiply.
Sounds outlandish, but wheat might be a principal "clean and healthy" food that has led western society to the most decent culture of all.
Disadvantages of meat consumption :
1. The food that stays long in the body looks more likely to become a source where germs, bacterias and the like multiply, which even gives birth to critical conditions involving prostate cancer.
2. The consumption of meat proved lethal as earlier this year, the expansive, long-term release concluded about a third of more than 500,000 Americans aged 50-70 with this behavior tends to wind up with premature fatality caused by cancer, hypertension and more.
3. The in-take of pork raises risks of catching swine flue and its mutation, costing around the initially estimated $2trillion dollars word-wide and endangering recovery,
(( Genes included in the new swine flu have been circulating undetected in pigs for at least a decade, according to researchers who have sequenced the genomes of more than 50 samples of the virus. The findings suggest that in the future, pig populations will need to be monitored more closely for emerging influenza viruses, reported a team led by Rebecca Garten of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a report released by the journal Science.))
Still, media downplay this fact out of small thinking to protect meat industry.
4. All but media influenced by meat industry blame calorie for overweight or obesity rather than fat, I still think Fat equals Fat by definition and common sense.
5. Hot dogs are often associated with food-borne illness. Though other food items carry listeria , FDA (Food and Drug Administration) studies have shown a high level of the harmful bacteria on hot dogs, processed meat and ready-to-eat meat products. And consuming hot dogs and other processed meats increases the risk of cancer
The class-action consumer fraud lawsuit underway in New Jersey is based on a report from the American Institute for Cancer Research.
Its findings included this fact: Consuming one 50-gram serving of processed meat (about the amount in one hot dog) every day increases the risk of colorectal cancer, on average, by 21 percent.
Nitrites, used to keep hot dogs fresh, are the main culprit, according to the suit.
While nitrites are commonly found in many green vegetables, especially spinach, celery and green lettuce, the consumption of vegetables appears to be effective in reducing the risk of cancer. Because these vegetables also contain Vitamin C and D, which serve to inhibit the formation of carcinogenic compounds, they actually reduce your cancer risk.
6. Two thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, which branch into so many different kinds of diseases, excess body fat increases risk for numerous cancers, costing up to $147 billion a year.
7. America needs to put focus on a sustainable energy industry to become a lead exporter, in place of a fast food business where the overall loss outstrips gain more than known, from my stance.
Provided the average temperature is getting higher, accordingly all forms of germs, bacterias, viruses, and influenza etc are more likely to multiply.
Some skeptics say the warning against hazards of climate change is overstated, but judging from more frequent and widespread outbreaks of e. coli, salmonella, and bird, swine flu cases endangering human lives and economic recovery seriously, some prompt measures need to be taken, I guess.
Also, Breathing toxic chemicals in the outdoor air exposes all Americans to a lifetime cancer risk at least 10 times greater than the level considered acceptable under federal law, shows new data released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Thank You !
Posted by: hsr0601 | October 8, 2009 2:55 AM
There are many problems with this ranking. To name three:
1) How many consumers know which items are regulated by FDA as opposed to USDA? An integrated list would be much more useful to consumers.
2) Counting the number of outbreaks or even the number of illnesses caused is pointless without adapting for volume of consumption. What this study does is note that out of 10,000 Ferraris on the road, 5,000 had mechanical problems last year while out of a million Chevrolets on the road, 10,000 had mechanical problems last year, then declares Chevrolets to be "Most Risky" even though 50% of the Ferraris and only 1% of the Chevrolets in this example ha problems.
3) The report relies on old data. Many new food safety systems have been created as a result of past outbreaks. To think that what happened with leafy greens eighteen years ago provides some useful information to consumers today is bizarre.
There is a lot more. I wrote a critique of the study on a perishable food industry focused website. The site is free and requires no registration for those wanting more information:
http://www.perishablepundit.com/index.php?date=10/08/09&pundit=1
Jim Prevor
http://www.PerishablePundit.com
Posted by: Jim Prevor | October 9, 2009 2:51 PM
aye,this cant be right!!!
Posted by: jodie | October 19, 2009 4:45 PM