The potential health risks of bagged  and prepackaged lettuce

Nothing really beats the convenience of pre-packaged, pre-washed greens — especially is you’re cooking for a big family or don’t have a whole lot of time on your hands.

In fact, more than 70% of U.S. households consume packaged or bagged salads — which make up part of a nearly $7 billion industry.

But considering all the reports of diseases and other potentially harmful and unhealthy things that may be lurking in those prepackaged bags — on top of the fact that you’re supposed to wash the contents anyway — they may not always be the safest choice.

The potential health risks 

According to the CDC ( a federal agency that conducts and supports health promotion, prevention and preparedness activities in the United States, with the goal of improving overall public health ), Listeria is a harmful germ that can hide in many different types of foods.

When food contaminated with the germ is consumed, it can lead to a serious infection called listeriosis — which causes 1,600 illnesses and 260 deaths every year, according to the CDC.

While anyone can get sick, the CDC says the infection ‘is most likely to sicken pregnant women and their newborns, adults aged 65 or older, and people with weakened immune systems.

Why you need to be careful with prepackaged lettuce/salad

The problem is, while many packages contain ‘pre-washed’ greens, sometimes even ‘triple-washed,’ they can still contain harmful disease-causing bacteria, like Listeria, salmonella or E. coli, which can’t always be rinsed off.

Read more: Why sparkling water may not be as healthy as you think

After an outbreak a few months ago, the CDC issued a warning that “consumers do not eat, restaurants do not serve, and retailers do not sell packaged salads’ that were produced at the same facility where Listeria was found. 

Prepackaged vs. non-packaged greens

So why is bagged lettuce more at risk of containing bacteria than a regular old head of lettuce you buy at the store?

Bagged greens typically contain younger leaves, which have a higher risk of contamination. According to Jeri Barak, associate professor of plant pathology and executive member of the Food Research Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, “Data suggests that bacteria (Salmonella and E. coli) can enter wounds, such as the harvesting cut, and travel some distance into a leaf. 

But fresh produce that’s harvested as a head has longer leaves and is more mature. 

A consumer has the opportunity to remove part of the head away from the harvest cut and eat leaves in which a pathogen did not reside in the harvest wound.”

On top of that, a lot more steps are required to get bagged lettuce from the harvesting stage to your local grocery store — which means more opportunities for contamination. 

Plus, many prepackaged greens contain more than one type — so spinach carrying bacteria could not only contaminate bags of spinach, but it could also contaminate bags of mixed greens and any other packages containing the same spinach.

Some research suggests that the inside of the bags can even foster the growth of bacteria.

And don’t assume organic greens are exempt — they are no more or less likely to carry harmful bacteria.

So when it comes to bagged greens, the health risks are still low, but if you have the option of choosing prepackaged or non-packaged, the latter is the safer choice — and you should still rinse and clean the produce as thoroughly as possible.

Read more: 8 Best Essentials Nutrition Strategies

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            source: healthrisks

 

    Top 10 Health Recommendations for Women

Take charge of your health by incorporating these ten recommendations into your life. Your optimal health and well-being and the health of the children you give birth to will be the reward for your efforts. See more on our blog at: http://lg365days.com/top-10-health-recommendations-for-women/

Cinnamon: Magical Spice For Weight Loss And Blood Sugar Control

What Cinnamon Does? 

Your body accumulates remaining sugar as fat. Cinnamon reduces the sugar floating around in your bloodstream. It reduces fasting glucose levels and minimizes the glucose absorbed after a meal. It also improves your insulin sensitivity. All in all, lesser sugar means lower weight gain. Add this spice to at least one meal a day or to your smoothies, juices, fruit salads, or oats.

Could this very common but largely overlooked spice be called the top fat-burning spice? Well, if you use it daily it has been shown to help people shed that stubborn belly fat. It’s also been used throughout history for its medicinal properties, as far back as the ancient Egyptians. It was treasured and was considered as the spice for kings.

I’m talking about… cinnamon. Yes, you read that correctly. Just about everybody has heard about cinnamon, however, people sparingly use it these days. It’s not only a very healthy spice, but it’s also very versatile as a condiment in a wide range of cuisines.

Why Use Cinnamon?

It’s highly recommended to introduce cinnamon into your diet as it not only helps with weight loss but also provides many more health benefits over the long term.

• Helps with insulin sensitivity
• Helps to control blood sugar levels
• Helps to control cravings
• Anti-bacterial
• Anti-fungal
• Powerful anti-oxidant
• Anti-inflammatory properties
• Protects against diabetes
• Protects against heart disease
• May prevent cancer

Is Cinnamon Good For Weight Loss And Blood Sugar Control?

Well, cinnamon doesn’t burn fat directly. It helps in weight loss through its powerful blood sugar lowering effect on your body. This is one of the main benefits of cinnamon which is good news for those wanting to lose weight and become leaner.

Studies have shown that cinnamon reduces the amount of glucose (sugar) entering the bloodstream after meals. It also showed that cinnamon lowers the fasting glucose levels by up to 29%.

Cinnamon has been shown to improve sensitivity to the hormone insulin. More and more people these days are becoming resistant to the effects of the hormone insulin. This condition is known as insulin resistance and can lead to diabetes as well as metabolic syndrome.

Just remember that blood sugar that is not burned as energy is turned into fat, resulting in weight gain or increased body fat storage, and as many of you may have experienced, more and more of that fat storage ends up around the abdominal area.

So, by improving insulin sensitivity as well as controlling blood sugar levels, cinnamon helps your body to reduce fat storage. And it protects your body from insulin resistance which could have led to other health issues that I am sure you don’t want.

How To Exploit The Benefits Of Cinnamon For Weight Loss?

To benefit the advantages of cinnamon for weight loss, start introducing this super tasty spice into at least one of your daily meals.

Now you could add cinnamon to a freshly made smoothie or juice, fruit salad, yogurt, oats, and even in curries and stir-fries. There are plenty of ways to get cinnamon into your daily diet.

By doing this, you’ll be helping to control your blood sugar and insulin levels which in turn will help with body fat storage, resulting in better weight management and weight loss over time.

Personally, I add one teaspoon of cinnamon to my morning smoothie every day so that I can get the amazing benefits from this awesome spice.

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