Get Less Sleep, Fruit/Vegetable Safety

Fruits, Vegetables… and Food Poisoning?

In the past, food-borne illness was primarily associated with meat and seafood, but recent outbreaks have been traced to fresh produce. Many disease-causing bacteria — such as E. coli, listeria and salmonella — routinely reside on fruits and vegetables, and this is true whether the produce is grown conventionally or organically.

To stay safe: Wash your hands before handling produce. Avoid cross contamination (especially from uncooked meats) by storing produce and proteins in separate parts of the refrigerator — also, use separate cutting boards. Don’t nibble on unwashed produce… and wait until just before preparation of fruits and vegetables to wash them, as washing removes their natural coating and makes them spoil faster. You do not need to use any special detergents, soap or bleach — simple running tap water is effective. Rinse all parts of the fruit or vegetable that may come into contact with a paring knife (even parts that you don’t intend to eat), and remove and discard the outer leaves of lettuce, cabbage and other greens. Scrub firmer fruits and vegetables with a vegetable brush.

Getting Too Much Sleep?

It’s true that most American adults aren’t getting enough sleep — and the trend is growing worse. Yet getting too much sleep is a problem, too. Excessive sleeping is a common symptom of depression and can indicate that something else is amiss — research shows that getting too much sleep (more than eight hours a night) is associated with risk for premature death as much as getting too little sleep, and it also contributes to back pain and memory problems.

Dr. Holtorf suggests: An underactive thyroid is a common cause of daytime sleepiness or an excessive need for sleep. It’s a problem that often goes undiagnosed because the standard blood test for it — the TSH test — is inadequate. Having even “low normal” thyroid levels significantly increases your risk for heart disease, diabetes, weight gain, depression and fatigue. Other causes of oversleeping include depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, hypersomnia (a medical condition that causes sufferers to oversleep), alcohol and some medications. If you are suffering from excessive fatigue, discuss with your doctor what might be the cause.

So, as with everything else, it turns out that moderation is key. Maintaining perspective is important when following health advice — or you will indeed end up taking “the bad with the good,” as I’ve heard people say.

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