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October 6, 2006     Barnstable Patriot
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October 6, 2006
 
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^\ Dustyour«w«rt AJ\ totte H P O HeartCarter 1 yy»r^^rTM |/ Serving CardiacPatients 1 y> / ^^ on Cape Cod 0 ^ " Since 1975 Philip N. Chiotellis, M.D., F.A.C.C. Adnan I. Naber, M.D., F.A.C.P. WeWould Like To BeYourCardiologist! 508.771.4205 52 Park Street Hyannis, MA 02601 E. coli & spinach: An unheathly salad Outbreak rooted in fertilizer By Britt Beedenbender news@barnstablepatriot.com As of Tuesday, 192 people from 26 states were infected by the recent E. coli outbreak from tainted fresh spinach, two of whom died. The federal Centers for Disease Control maintains its warning on bagged spinach from suspected brands with use date of Oct. 1 or before (which should be thrown out if discovered), and questions and concerns about public safety and food inspections remain. According to various sources, E. coliinfreshproduce hasbeen agrow- ingtrend since 2000. The CDC notes that infections "occur regularly and have been both large and small in localized areas and across several states. Transmission of E. coli was first associated with contaminated groundbeef but has alsobeen spread through unpasteurized fruit juices, lettuce,and contaminated drinking water." Inthe caseofspinach,the bacteria were introduced through the use of manure of ruminant animals - cows, horse, deer, etc. - as fertilizer. The problem lies with the government's inability to t effectively oversee on- farm food safety. There is no single federal agency k that coordinates the ^^^ efforts of the U.S. ^ Department of Ag- W riculture (USDA), m. theFood and Drug t^^jb Administration liPf? (FDA) and the B^ Environmental w Protection Agency (EPA). f ; According to a re- cent report on National Public Radio, there is a lack of funding for inspec- tors, and in the case of imported foods, there is no control over how those foods are packaged or pre- pared. There are approximately 6,000 USDA inspectors stationed every day at all poultry and beef plants. Compare this to the 2,000 FDA agents who are capable of in- specting the fresh produce plants and farms once every 10 years. Sowhat is aconsumer to do while the government works on making food safe at the source? Rita Mitchell,public health nurse for Barnstable County, noted that "prevention is the best measure against infection." While fresh spinach coming from farms outside of the three counties in the SalinasValleyin California,to which the tainted spinach has been linked,is considered safe to eat,it is not always easy to know where the product originates. In addition, supermarkets will often use the bulk packages of fresh spinach or lettuce greens in their salad bars. Thus, Mitchell advised that "consumers should lay off fresh spinach until the Massachusetts Department of Health declares it safe." Regarding at-home food safety, Mitchell suggested that individu- als follow the recommendations set forth by the Centers for Disease Control. Because E. coli can be found in all food products, Mitchell cited what health practitioners call "best practice"for all food handling situations. Most importantly, consumers "should wash their hands, fruits and vegetables thoroughly." It is also imperative to prevent against cross-contamination. For example , do not handle poultry and then cut up vegetables without washingyour hands and changing the cutting board first. "Make sure that all foods are properly chilled and that meats are cooked well," Mitchell said. The CDCstates that in order to kill the E. colibacteria one needs to cook food for 15 seconds at 160 degrees; this works equally well for produce as well as meats. Unfortunately, cooking spinach in this manner destroys beneficial nutrients. E. coli is not necessarily deadly. Most of those infected will re- cover. "If you come down with an E. coli infection the symptoms will usually occur within three to four days, al- though it may take as long as 10," said Mitchell. "The symptoms typi- cally include severe bloody diarrhea and acute abdominal cramps with little to no fever, and the illness usu- ally resolves within five to 10days on its own. No antibiotics or anti-diar- rheal medications are given." While most people recover from the infection, in some cases the E. coli organisms perforate the lining of the intestine and create a sec- ondary infection called hemolytic uremic syndrome. This is a condi- tion in which the red blood cells are destroyed and the kidneys fail, resulting in long-term debilitating effects or death. "Children under 5 years old and the elderly need the most care, due to the effects that severe de- hydration can have on them," said Mitchell. There already seems to be some hope for fresh spinach eaters. Matt Lambert , co-owner of Lam- bert's Rainbow Fruit in Centerville remarked that when the outbreak first occurred , "We threw all our fresh spinach out , including the mesclun greens. Since all our spin- ach and mesclun greens come from California, we immediately discon- tinued our shipments and switched over to a mesclun mix that had no spinach." This week, however, you will see spinach back in Lambert's produce section. "On Monday, we received approval. Shipments of fresh spin- ach arrived in Boston on Monday and the inspectors declared it safe. We now have spinach again and the restaurants are bringingit back into their menus." Establishing a healthy eating pattern for children By Bethany Gibbons news@barnstablepatriot.com Dr.Debra Fochi wasn't eyeing a piece of your store-baked turkey or that irresistible slice of crunchy kosher pickle. Her trained eye was instead fixed on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich when she said, "There'salot that can be taken out of a simple sandwich,"namely the trans fats and sugars. Dr. Fochi of Falmouth is a cer- tified clinical nutrionist and she doesn'tmincewords when it comes to establishing healthy eating hab- itsfor children.That chocolate milk that allowsparents to feel satisfied their child is getting some dairy? "I wouldn't do it," she said. "I would sooner look for another source of dairy, like yogurt or cheese." PBand J,the perennial kidfavor- ite, is potentially loaded with hy- drogenated fat and sugar.As rates of obesity and diabetes continue to climb, Fochi recommended stay- ing away from foods that promote those illnesses. "Fruit sugar has a slower me- tabolizing rate than com syrup or sucrose, so choose a jelly that is sweetened naturally. It has alower glycemic index." The peanut butters that aremost commonly found in supermarkets have a surprisingly long list of in- gredients. Vegetableoil stabilizers are added to prevent the ground peanuts from separating from their natural oil. Sugar is also added, as is salt. Fochi advised using natural pea- nut butter with no oils or sugars added. "It takes a little bit of work to mix the oil that rests on the top withthe ground peanuts, sopeople who haven't tried it before might be surprised, but just stick with it and it will mix up fine." (Hint: Store natural peanut butter upside down to get the oils to mix.) Of course serving allnatural pea- nut butter and jelly on good bread with whole grains is important. When snack time comes around, Fochi said,"TVisahuge promoter ... of bad choices when c o m bined with snacks." She recom- mended wattr as the ideal bev- erage. Apple slices with natural peanut butter provide fruit, fiber, good fat and protein.Veggiessuch as carrot sticks, celery, and grape or cherry tomatoes can be served on a platter with hummus. "Kids love to be able to dip the veggies and if they haven't tried hummus before it might be new and fun for them." Fochi encouraged parents and caregivers to re-think the snack, seeingit asasmallmeal.Hertwistis to have dinner ready after school. "We are seeing more and more familiesthat aretoo busytositdown to eat dinner together," she said. "Childrenaremorelikelytoeat more oftheir dinner ifthey canhave some whentheygethomefrom schooland are hungry for a snack, instead of waiting until after snacking." She wants parents to think , "What else can Iserve at that time? Perhapsthe saladwithsomecheese onit or the chicken,hot or cold with mustard or ketchup asadip... pro- vided the ketchup doesn't include high fructose corn syrup." Keeping akeen eye on labels is a good start to providing a healthy diet for children. In addition to avoiding corn syrup and hydroge- nated fats, parents can try to add better oils to the diet. "Corn and vegetable oils have too much omega-6 fatty acids. Try to add some more omega-3, in the form of omega-3 eggs or even flax seed in crackers," Fochi said. "It's the one time in life that we can really determine what they will eat. We can really determine their health,"Fochi said. "It takes a leap of faith for the parents, but offer healthy foods, and they will eat them when they get hungry enough . It can be done." ^ . . . ,, -, —< ¦ IB — fT«^gj Eye Exams • Consultations • Second Opinions IllJJ^S^iu.. Eye Care For: Cataracts • Glaucoma • Retina • Cornea "»»*«« Macular Degeneration • Lid Plastic Surgery ! !™ ™1 " M.D Diabetic Disease • Laser Surgery • LASIK Surgery ¦******¦* JEFFREYS. HEtER M.D. M MARKS.HUGHES,M.D. For over 15 years Ophthalmic JAMESW HUNG '"a o u x- tn L L L B.THOMASHUTCHINSON,M.D. Consultants of Boston has been MAMIA MMWT0J., bringing Boston's top Board MICHAELG.MORLEY,M.D, Certified Ophthalmologists to HICHAELF.OATS,M.D. Cape Cod. They come to the wwj.PRICE ,M.D. Cape to see you so you do not MICHAELB.RABMAN ,M.D. need to make the trip to Boston, CLAUDIAU.RKHTER,M.D. We welcome new patients, DEUAN.SANO,M.D. please call for an appointment. Bmfm * SHINGLETON ,MJJ . JOHNV.THOMAS,HD. TREXLERM.TOPPING, M.D. 1 .*? mt^ r^ T^ Y^ V^ y ^^ r^^lU ¦lilKpcB EL&W " ^M i k^*' K| 4«A^lAA^ j*AJyUA jU||B YVrfc- v f* ^fete Ophthaimic Consultant "f Boston IMglg^glg^gMBHg^HMgHHglg^HgMMHgMgflg^HS UNIQUE HOME DETOX™ for drugs and alcohol. Private & confidential. Physician Directed. Covered by most insurance plans. KEEP THETOWN I STRONG... I Shop Locally! I » ' '_ ^__ ™ 'wujiji ^ j|fr * $** &' . jB^g%ffi ^&l^"l ^-o3B**5L- 1^^^ ^^ ^B P^ r ::'r ' :' '¦ ¦; 'Jr ./ ' -< ; : ' ' '' ^i ' ¦ ' ¦^•gP'B^^Br^gT^I ^ I * 1W4 ^^g^^^^PQQMgBMrjMgH^P'Wt'VtilgvgBM^^L-. t Ti iJ^f^Tg ^ r^r J l M i i ^^^J Z^ TBB ^^^r^TpM ^ rT^^^^ i^g ^^Jt^ w^^Bl.^^w M V ^ f M ^^^^Jf tMy 'WKt^MmrMMMt^ j J ^A ^^M ^ m rA I %_ 9 t M_ Z^^m LjJL JL M .