My brother in Hamburg/Germany was one of the people who acquired the sickening E. coli bug EHEC that can induce the feared Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome (HUS). Fine now, except for some prolonged weakness, he was spared kidney failure and neurological consequences that are not rare.
Germany is far away – but don’t think that we here could not experience a similar outbreak. Truth is that many U.S citizens come down with food-borne illnesses all the time: The number is estimated at several millions per year, and it is thought that they cause about 5000 deaths every year. The death toll in Germany stands at 22 (I avoid the word “only”) – let’s hope it stays there.
Interestingly, the germs that are spoiling fresh produce now have likely originated in our modern ways of animal husbandry: Huge feed lots, mass slaughtering, antibiotic over-treatment might all have led to this outbreak.
What can we do to avoid food-borne disease?
1. Eat less meat – once or twice a week is enough. Avoid deli. Insist on naturally raised animals.
2. Consider growing your own lettuce – which can be done in a pot on a balcony.
3. Do not use raw milk (and if you ask me, avoid all dairy anyway!)
4. Throw out everything from fridge and pantry that is beyond the expiration date and/or looks suspicious. (If you are at it, you can also throw away unhealthy stuff – like sugary, starchy, calorie-laden things!).
5. Throw bulging cans away.
6. Don’t keep foods that are known to spoil easily, like mayonnaise, longer than a day.
7. Wash your hands after each bathroom visit and before you handle food. And wash them again, after you have discarded the peel or rind, or have touched poultry, meat and fish.
8. Wash everything washable with detergent, then rinse thoroughly.
9. In unclear situations stick to fruit and vegetables that can be peeled.
10. Filter your water – a filter can keep out microbes.
11. Cook meat and fish well. A good sushi place can probably be trusted.
12. And if you think you ate something bad: Induce vomiting (but surely not as a habit!!), and/or take some GSE for a few days (16 drops of Grapefruit Seed Extract three times a day in water diluted. Never take it undiluted – it is sort of caustic!).
Avoiding contact and contamination is one side of the equation. Keeping your immune system strong, is the other side: End every warm shower with a cold one (see earlier blogs for contra-indications!), get enough sleep before midnight, make sure you are safe but don’t give over to excessive worry, stay in shape by walking every day, and eating more vegetables … cooked!
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