Canada’s Latest Beef with Beef

We’re amidst the largest beef recall this country has ever seen. With more than 1500 products being recalled in all Canadian provinces and territories and extending to just about all the states in America too. The beef with our beef?  E.Coli, or Escherichia Coli bacteria.

E.Coli is the bacteria that lives in the intestines of animals, and people for that matter too. There are several different strains. Some of much are harmless and can be an important part of healthy human intestinal tracts. Others however, like E.Coli 0157:H7 which are pathogenic and can cause illness like diarrhea, urinary tract infections, respiratory illness, and at extremes kidney failure or even death. It’s usually transmitted through contaminated food, water, infected people or animal and common culprits and improper hand washing and cooking of beef. Symptoms of infection to watch out for include abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea (which may or may not be bloody). They can appear anywhere within one to ten days, but are usually seen in three to four days, and last anywhere from five to ten days. The remedy is plenty of fluids and rest, but if symptoms are severe medical attention is advised.  

For the record, E.Coli usually disappears in our number two by the time the illness is resolved. Young children tend to carry it longer than adults, and some people may keep ‘shedding’ the bacteria for several weeks or even months, even after symptoms have disappeared. Good hand washing is smart and the best way to protect yourself, your family, and others.

The power of hand washing should not be underestimated. 80% of common infections are spread by hands. American Society of Microbiology studies show that 97% of females and 92% of males say they wash their hands, but in reality only about 75% females and 58% males really do wash. Of the people who do wash, how many people actually do it properly, i.e. more than just a quick flick under the tap. It’s something simple enough, but the majority of us just don’t do this properly. Sure we use warm water, soap and a dry towel, but the real culprit to washing hands ineffectively is not washing them long enough. You know you’ve washed them long enough when you can sing Twinkle Twinkle or Happy Birthday (and if at a public restroom preferably in your head) while doing so. Even if they appear to be clean, they can still carry germs. Washing your hands at least five times a day has been shown to significantly decrease the frequency of colds, flus and other infections. An alcohol based hand sanitizer can be useful when soap and warm water aren’t available. They can be useful are killing many bacteria and viruses, but are often not that effective for killing the bugs that cause diarrhea. For their maximal hand sanitizer effectiveness, use in addition to hand washing and make sure it contains at least 60% alcohol.

It’s useful to note that E.Coli bacteria can be killed by high heat temperatures. Best practice is to always use a thermometer to check internal temperatures of protein containing foods like fish, poultry and meat. Color or smell are not reliable indicators to say that meat is cooked, let alone ‘fit’ to eat. Ground and fresh beef is considered safe when it has reached an internal cooking temperature of 160°F. Other potentially high risk for E.Coli foods include unpasteurized juice, milk, cheese made with unpasteurized milk, and alfalfa sprouts. Prevent cross contamination in food areas by not only washing hands, but also counters, cutting boards, utensils and any other kitchen object that may come in contact with raw meat. Details for advisories and public warnings on foods, such as this recent beef recall, can be most reliably found on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency website: www.inspection.gc.ca.

As seen in The Telegram October 8, 2012

Bringing Back Tradition

Thanksgiving brings many thoughts to mind. Turkey, pumpkin pie, and eating together as a family would certainly be my top three. Instead of talking about how to trim calories, and ‘holiday what not to eat’ (as many articles will feature on Thanksgiving I’m sure), I want to focus on one simple thing we need and can do more of. Take the time to sit down and eat together with family and friends. Family meals are deep rooted in our culture, but with lives getting busier and the days feeling like minutes, it’s something that has made its way far from our dinner plates. So why is eating together so important you ask? Eating with others has been shown to have huge benefits in terms of nutrition for all involved. 

It used to be that families sat down at mealtimes, talked about their day and ate without the distraction of TV or the internet. Today that picture paints a different story. About 43% of families eat together every day, 60% of us sometimes or always have the TV on, and another 15% of us are sometimes or always guilty of emailing, texting or using our phones during supper time. With the expanding waistlines of childhood obesity there has been a fair amount of research targeted on family and social influences and how these might make a difference on the eating patterns of kids. Put it this way, families who eat together eat better, nuff said. Kids who sit down to eat dinner together with family on average eat more vegetables and fruits, and consume more fibre, calcium, folate, iron, and vitamins B6, B12, C and E. They also eat less fried foods, sweets, salty snacks, soft drinks, and less of the so-called ‘bad’ saturated and trans fats. Adolescents having frequent and shared meals promotes greater intakes of fruit among males and females, and vegetables and milk products among females as well. If you consider average intakes of some of those healthful nutrients mentioned above, as Newfoundlanders and Labradorians we can certainly do better in increasing our intakes in the nutrition department. According to 2012 data from Stats Canada, 29% of us consume fruits and veggies five times a day or more. Earlier data also tells us that as a province our fiber intakes are about half of what they should be and calcium intakes are also under par. All in all, a lot of these nutrients we tend to be lacking in collectively as a province have been shown to have greater intakes when people eat together. The chances of kids developing an eating disorder, being overweight or obese are also reduced when kids eat together with others. So take a moment and ask yourself how often you eat fruits and veggies a day? How often do you sit down with others to enjoy food?

There are other big benefits aside from nutrition and healthy weights, when people practice eating together.  According to studies from Columbia University, children who eat five times a week or more with family in comparison to peers eating meals alone or outside the home, are at a lower risk for developing poor eating habits, alcohol and substance dependencies, and performing better in school.

As Newfoundlanders and Labradorians we are deep rooted in tradition. During this Thanksgiving weekend spend time together with your family, eat good nutritious food, and give thanks. Give thanks that your family is happy and healthy and let this be the time your family decides to bring back the tradition on eating together and making mealtime a nightly family affair.

As seen in The Telegram October 3, 2012