When you go to the grocery store with eggs on your list, you may find yourself overwhelmed by the choices. It can be confusing when the humble egg comes in varieties like organic, free-range, cage-free, brown, white, Omega-3, and any combination of these. Is there really a difference? Which eggs are healthiest? Read the rest of this entry

If you are concerned about food-borne illness, you may be wondering what steps you can take to protect yourself. It can make you feel helpless when thousands of people are unwittingly sickened because of unsanitary practices thousands of miles away. But there are things you can do to minimize your risk. Read the rest of this entry

In 2006, there was an outbreak of E.coli in the United States. There were 5 deaths and more than 200 cases of illness. The cause was contaminated, bagged spinach which the victims had been eaten raw. Also in 2006, pre-packaged iceberg lettuce served in restaurants resulted in another outbreak of E.coli.

Understandably, people became concerned about pre-packaged leafy greens. How safe is bagged salad now? Read the rest of this entry

While undercooked meat and eggs tend to raise red flags among restaurant-goers, salad bars may actually pose just as much if not more risk of food-borne illness. This is not necessarily the result of the owners and employees of the salad bar (although sometimes it is). Often lettuce becomes contaminated during processing, before it even reaches the salad bar. And customers’ unsanitary behavior also contributes to making the salad bar unsafe. Read the rest of this entry

Sometimes called the “dirty dozen,” there are twelve fruits and vegetables that are the most contaminated by pesticides and/or fungicides. Here is a list of the most contaminated produce in loosely descending order and the pesticides used on them.

1. Bell Peppers

Of vegetables contaminated with neurotoxic pesticides, bell peppers came out the winner (or loser, depending on how you look at it). They have a higher level of such neurological toxins than any other crop that has been tested. Read the rest of this entry