Leftovers, raw and other foods to avoid
Meat and fish
HEALTH:
UNLIKE beef which could be eaten rare or medium, pork is safe only when fully cooked, especially in barbeque. Improperly cooked pork could lead to a micro worm infestation called trichinosis, where the tiny roundworms enter the muscles, even in the eyelids, the heart, etc. and pose a danger not only to health but to life. Eating raw seafoods, like oysters, mussels, shrimp, fish, can also cause bacterial infection, like salmonella, not to mention hepatitis.
Unhygienic food handlers (including all of us) can contaminate the food and cause Staphylococcus food poisoning, Shigella and E. coli infection (from fecal contamination of food and or water), leading to severe diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pains. Even left over rice, if not refrigerated, and if it is kept covered airtight in a warm environment, can cause Bacillus cereus to thrive, multiply, and produce chemical toxins, resulting in food poisoning. Rice is best consumed within 24-48 hours. When leftover rice appears moist or sticky, and/or smells spoiled, it should be discarded.
MICROWAVE POPCORN
A recent UCLA study reports that chemicals (one of them perfluorooctanoic acid – PFOA) in the inner surface (lining) of the bag are compounds that may be a culprit in the development of infertility in humans. The findings also stated that these chemicals vaporize with high temperature and seep into the popcorn and can cause cancer of the liver, pancreas, and testicles, as they accumulate in the body over time until they reach the toxic level years later. Manufacturers, like Dupont, have promised to phase out PFOA by 2015 under the US EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) voluntary plan. In the meantime, pop your own corn in a skillet.
CANNED TOMATOES
Bisphenol-A (BPA), a synthetic estrogen, is in the resin linings of tin cans. The acidic nature of tomatoes causes this chemical to leach into the tomatoes. BPA has been linked to heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and suppression of sperm production and chromosomal damage.
CORN-FED-BEEF
To fatten cattle for better profit, commercial farmers feed them corn an soybeans. A new comprehensive study by the US Department of Agriculture and Clemens University found that "compared with corn-fed beef, grass fedbeef is higher in beta carotene, vitamin E, omega-3s, conjugated linoleic acid, calcium, magnesium, and potassium; lower in inflammatory omega-6s, and lower in saturated fats. Better option: beef from grass-fed cattle, stipulated on the packaging label.
NON-ORGANIC FRUITS, VEGETABLES
The same chemical contamination is found in non-organic fruits and vegetables. Those with skin or rind are better protected. After washing them, peel the skin, like in apples, bananas, papaya, oranges, lansones, pineapple, carrots, radish, squash, upo, patola, etc. Those which are eaten as a whole, fruits like the various berries, prunes, grapes, and vegetables like lettuce, beans, etc., obviously contain more contamination and should be thoroughly washed. Again, organic, where possible, is the choice.
MILK WITH ARTIFICIAL HORMONES
To increase milk production, producers treat their dairy cattle with recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH or rBST), which exposes the cow to have udder infection and even pus in the milk. At the same time, it also leads to higher levels of insulinlike growth hormone factor (IGF-1) in milk, which, in some people, might "increase the risk for the development of cancer of the breast, prostate and colon," according to Rick North, former CEO of the Oregon Division of the American Cancer Society and now an advocate for food safety. While this quoted statement is still not proven 100 percent, IGF-1 in milk is "banned in industrialized countries."
(Fun8888 Filippin).
