Washing Fresh Fruit & Vegetables

Is it really necessary to wash fresh fruit and vegetables? My advice is: better safe than sorry. You not only need to remove any germs, but pesticides as well. Should they be washed with soap, some kind of vegetable wash or just plain water? According to an article in USA Today, chlorinated water kills many of the bacteria and viruses that may be on fruit and vegetables. They recommend soaking them in a gallon of cold water with 1/2 teaspoon of bleach for about 10 minutes. Then rinse thoroughly. Personally, I use water with just a drop of dish soap and rinse thoroughly. I wash fruit like apples or pears under running water with a drop of soap that I rub all over it with my hands. Other things like broccoli, cauliflower, strawberries and grapes, I put in a bowl of water, add a drop or two of soap and swish it around with my hand. Then I put them in a strainer and rinse well. I, personally, have not had any problems so far using this method. That, of course, is not a guarantee. Don't forget about bananas, watermelon, cantaloupe or other items that are peeled or cut. You still have to handle them or cut through the outside and you don't want to spread germs or pesticides on the outside to the fruit on the inside. You can also wash fruit and vegetables with a produce wash. They can be purchased or made at home. It's best to avoid pre-packaged or pre-cut fruit and vegetables. There have been several recalls of these types of products in recent years. They seem to be at a higher risk of contamination and because they are supposedly "pre-washed" they are usually consumed without being washed at home. Again, I strongly recommend to grow whatever you can on your own and buy local as much as possible.

Beware Of Bacteria Lurking In Hot Tubs!

Until recently, I thought hot tubs were relatively safe because they are chlorinated like pools. Apparently not. If not properly maintained they can contain a bacteria called pseudomonas aeruginosa that infects the hair follicles. This infection is more commonly known as "hot tub folliculitis." To my relief, it is not spread by personal contact.

Beware Of Self Serve Fountain Drinks!

STUDY: Nearly half of soda fountains contaminated with fecal matter
By Dr. Kim Mulvihill
SAN FRANCISCO -- Many of us have filled up our cups at the local gas station. But those self-serve soda fountains may be serving up a lot of bacteria.

Researchers from Hollins University in Virginia tested more than 100 beverages from self-serve and staff-serve dispensers. What they found coming out of these machines is pretty unappetizing.

"We obtained soda fountain beverages from a wide variety of fast food establishments and found that a significant number of the drinks had levels of bacteria, including coliforms, which would not be allowed in municipal drinking water," said Dr. Renee Godard, professor of biology and director of environmental studies at Hollins, and a co-author of the study. "To our knowledge, no one has looked at bacterial contamination from soda fountain machines before, and our results may have public health implications. They signal the need for regulations that enforce the manufacturer's recommended cleaning regimens for these beverage dispensers."

They found 48 percent of the beverages contained fecal matter.

More than 11 percent were contaminated with E. coli and 17 percent were tainted with a bacteria known to cause meningitis.

Most of the bacteria showed resistance to one or more of the 11 antibiotics tested.

In these drinks, they also found smaller amounts of other kinds of germs including staphylococcus, klebsiella and candida.