Caution for all Re: Bagged Spinach

[aprild]

Years ago I remember talking with an older woman who had run a day care center for very young kids in her home. She told me that she put a few drops of bleach in a pan of water and washed everything--even chicken and meat. She said that she had never had a bout of any kind of alimentary illness in 20 years with her kids.

I felt an aversion at the time to the bleach idea (I have had the great privilege of never having to drink chlorinated water -- from birth.) but it is such a small amount and food poisoning is really BAD!


april

[Lucy]

I would question the worthiness of alternative medicine altogther. An herbal remedy can act just as a perscription drug that you are taking. You don't know how it has performed and the studies and FDA approval just aren't there.

This is just one site that poped up on the net, it is related to pediatrics, I know, but there are plenty more sources to check it out. It is from the journal of the AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS, not an unreliable unknown source.

It is totally up to you to be informed on what you are choosing to do. Personally I would not fool around with my own liver, I have seen too closely what it can be like with liver disease.

"Many herbal products are benign in nature; however, some of these therapies have potentially harmful side effects as well as adverse interactions with other medications. The regulation of herbal products falls under control of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994. According to this act, producers are required to ensure safety and appropriate labeling of a product. Manufacturers and distributors are not required to actually demonstrate safety or efficacy of the product before placing it on the market.8 The ambiguity of ensuring but not actually demonstrating safety potentially allows herbal products to enter the market without having to provide actual evidence of safety or efficacy. Regulation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) occurs only after reports appear of adverse effects related to products already in the marketplace. Recent examples of potentially harmful products include herbal fen-phen that contained both ephedra, which has been linked to cardiovascular problems, and L-tryptophan, which has been linked to eosinophilia myalgia syndrome.9–11 More recently the FDA has begun to focus on the relationship between kava kava use and possible hepatotoxicity.12 In light of the current regulatory situation, parents may incorrectly assume these products are adequately regulated and therefore safe."
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cg.../111/5/981



Having another Great day in Paradise, Wherever that Maybe!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheLanai

[HADave]

Yum Yum Yum on the Swiss Chard meal it has always been the the first pplanted and the last thing buried in our garden. our variety is Bright Lights multiple colors of red yellow green pink positively beautiful before cooking, that and beet greens, pulled when beets are very small and tender. can be frozen but loses some of the flavor....Missed having a big garden this year we are usually freezing and canning like crazy right about now we have a seperate summer kitchen just special for the process.....makes my tongue juice just thinking about bread and butter pickles oh well hopefully we will get back to some of that stuff after we've arrived and settled in.......ho hum Thanks for getting my mind off cover ups and on to cover crops more my speed )))))))

HADave

[JerryCarr]

Aloha, Mella. I am pleased to let you know that collard seeds (Georgia variety, no less) are now available in Hilo at Home Depot and other seed outlets. Apparently enough folks here like them that they are worth stocking. Yes!!!!

Cheers,
Jerry

[HADave]

I guess recent reports have narrowed down the E coli contamination found in bagged spinach due to the possibility of feral pigs running in the cow manure on this one particular farm. Makes you wonder if and why doesn't pig manure also carry the bacteria. Raised swine in Japan does carry it and the US has tested it's swine population but has not found it to be true Stateside.....hmmm no mention regarding feral pig population.....more reason to be sure about washing garden products bought locally I guess especially where wiley pig roams.

Nancy how are you feeling these days, sure hope you are over what ever had it's hold on you..

Aloha HADave

[Lucy]

Dave,

Did you somehow confuse trichinosis with Escherichia coli?
That is all that I could come up with thinking about what you said.
Otherwise did you see that written somewhere that US pigs that were tested do not have this e. coli?

It is my understanding that All warm blooded animals, humans too have e. coli from their mouths all through the gut tract.

Aloha,
Lucy


Having another Great day in Paradise, Wherever that Maybe!


Edited by - Lucy on 10/28/2006 18:14:21

[nanasohana]

Well I recovered from the food poisoning but found out I have an enlarged liver and its also called fatty liver. It quit hurting for a while but recently I have had another type infection and now my liver hurts a little. As I understand the best thing to do is get excess weight off and so I got to work on that!

[Kelena]

Forget spinach -- but at all costs avoid the artichoke dip at that natural foods place in Pahoa. In my paranoid mainlander way, I though the volcano was making me sick. But when I actually, uh, lost my cookies I immediately knew what the culprit was.

[Carolann R]

Nancy I recenty lost a few pounds as did my Mom...actually since we've been on island. I talked to a lady who writes an article in the Puna News...Glenna. She told me she has lost 63 pounds and realized that high fructose corn syrup was a huge culprit. It's in everything processed...you really have to look for it and she said it actually goes straight into your liver and turns into fat...just what you are talking about.

So it occurred to me that the reason we've been doing well with our weight program is that I am not cooking any frozen foods...I am cooking all fresh fruits and veggies and baking my own whole wheat bread (with honey instead of white sugar)...without even knowing it, we have been detoxing from the high fructose corn syrup!

She also pointed out that other countries besides the US don't put it in many of their foods...(Canada, Mexico)...she happened upon a bottle of Heinz Ketchup (which typically is LOADED with the stuff) and it had none...she noticed the labeling - that it was processed in Canada.

I hope just this idea helps someone, since it really is a bad problem here in the US...

We purchased frozen food once since on Island and the lack of the processed food along with just regular exercise (walking or snorkeling) and I've lost about 14 pounds already. My mom doesn't even get that much exercise, since she is disabled and uses a walker and she has also lost about the same, and I am sure that cooking all fresh is the main cause of it...also stopped snacking which helps.

Carrie

"To be one, to be united is a great thing. But to respect the right to be different is maybe even greater." Bono
http://www.hellophoenix.com/art/dreamhawaii.Cfm

[HADave]

Aloha Lucy, The wife told me of the news report that linked the spinach infestation to feral pigs that had run in cow manure and then through the fields of spinach contaminating the crop.

As far as E.Coli 0157:H7 strain which is usually the same as all foodborne E Coli and there are many strains I'm told. Cattle are the principal source of E.Coli 0157 in their intestines. Meat becomes contaminated by poor processing methods, as I'm sure you are aware. It is also found in healthy deer, goats and sheep but not in the general population of US swine. Exactly where I read this I can't recall but I'm sure you should easily find some info regarding the swine testing in this country. I do remember the Dr's last name was Bush (no pun intended) that issued the report. I would have to believe that Hawaii Island with it's large cattle and feral pig population would be at considerable risk for the bacteria. But really just my 2 cents.

Aloha HADave