Why is Our Food Making Us Sick?

Forget mad cow disease, at least for the moment. The recent outbreaks of illness-causing bacteria is in our produce.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been investigating a Salmonellosis Outbreak. Since September 1, 2006, 171 people in 19 different states have reported salmonella poisoning.

People in the following states have been infected: Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia, Vermont and Wisconsin.

Of those affected with the salmonella, most are adults, 11 have been hospitalized, and 59% are female.

Symptoms of Salmonella occur anytime from 12 hours to 72 hours after the initial infection. Symptoms include abdominal cramping,
diarrhea and sometimes a fever. Salmonella infections can last anywhere from four to seven days. Unless the symptoms are severe, you can recover without treatment. Seek medical treatment if you appear to be dehydrated. Babies, infants andanyone with an impaired immune system are more likely to need medical treatment.

Eating Healthy Without Getting Infected

1. Take the time to thoroughly wash any raw produce before consuming it. Skip raw vegetables in restaurants and salad bars.

2. Eat vegetables that you have washed and cooked yourself. Forgo the "ease" of bagged and supposedly clean vegetables.

3. Foods to Avoid:

Tomatoes - Salmonella, infected 171 people
Bagged Lettuce - E.coli tainted, killed three people and hospitalized 200 more
Bagged Spinach - E. coli bacteria, three deaths, 131 consumers in 21 states ill; source: nine farms in California's Salinas Valley
Other warnings: Carrot juice: botulism warning on Bolthouse Farms carrot juice

4. Eat frozen vegetables, which are fresh-frozen and still retain some nutritional quality.

5.. Eat more locally-grown produce. The longer fresh and untreated and uncleaned produce sits in a transport container the more potential it has for being affected by erratic temperature changes. Also, with a shorter distance for the produce to go from a local farm to your kitchen, the produce is less susceptible to harmful contamination. Basically, locally-grown produce is simply fresher.

Currently, it is estimated that there are more than 80 million (mostly unreported) food-related illnesses in the U.S. each year.