Raw Foods are a Raw Deal to Health
July 20th 2008 04:33
The adventurous palate is always looking for new taste sensations. But it may find more than it bargained for when it takes on the delights of uncooked cuisine. Eating raw foods, such as sushi, oysters and steak tartare, poses an increased risk of food-borne illness. How? Let's take a look at each of these three situations:
1. Uncooked food. Health experts are one in saying that many foods, including meat, seafood, fruits, and vegetables, can harbor disease-causing microbes. Yet they become a health threat only when handled or cooked improperly. Cooking food thoroughly and with sufficient heat kills most microbes. Raw foods, of course, are uncooked. For produce like fruit and salad greens, rinsing thoroughly under running water (use a vegetable brush and discard outer leaves) minimizes exposure to disease-causing microbes. But raw animal foods cannot simply be made safe by washing, and the bacteria they may contain can cause such symptoms as nausea, stomach cramps, and diarrhea. Medical experts warn that these illnesses are especially dangerous, even fatal, among the young, the old, and anyone with a weakened immune system
[ Click here to read more ]
1. Uncooked food. Health experts are one in saying that many foods, including meat, seafood, fruits, and vegetables, can harbor disease-causing microbes. Yet they become a health threat only when handled or cooked improperly. Cooking food thoroughly and with sufficient heat kills most microbes. Raw foods, of course, are uncooked. For produce like fruit and salad greens, rinsing thoroughly under running water (use a vegetable brush and discard outer leaves) minimizes exposure to disease-causing microbes. But raw animal foods cannot simply be made safe by washing, and the bacteria they may contain can cause such symptoms as nausea, stomach cramps, and diarrhea. Medical experts warn that these illnesses are especially dangerous, even fatal, among the young, the old, and anyone with a weakened immune system
| 20 |
| Vote |
Shared on
Read More
Add Comments
