Do You Have E. Coli In Your Intestines Right Now? #health #video

I’m not trying to scare you, but in the time that I shot this video and wrote this post, there has been a new outbreak of E. coli by another major brand- Costco.

Oh no… I love that chicken salad.

But it was the recent outbreak at Chipotle that initially started this post.

How does a brand touting “Food with Integrity” make people sick?

I wanted to know… what is E. coli exactly and how can I not get it?

Well- in one sense- it’s too late.

You got it. I got it.

Swirling all up in our intestines… Bleck.

But don’t panic, most strains of this bacteria are harmless.

Most… but not all.

Though I have heard of no reports of death in these recent cases- the bacteria has proven to be deadly (especially to children) in the past.

Even without the threat of death… the reports of the most common painful symptoms (bloody diarrhea) associated with E. coli are enough to drum up anxiety in even the bravest of souls.

Proper hygiene and safe food handling and preparation practices are the common sense rules to live by in prevention, but when we go out to eat, we are at the mercy of a long line of faceless people.

Though people are most commonly infected through undercooked meat, raw produce and unpasteurized milk and juices are subject to contamination as well.

The types of E. coli that can cause diarrhea can be transmitted through contaminated water or food, or through contact with animals or persons.

I’m not suggesting that we all live in a bubble fearful to eat what we have not picked from our own garden (that does sounds nice though) but a little awareness can go a long way.

One of the best changes that you can make (when eating ground beef especially) is to opt for better beef. The chart below from Consumer Report highlights some undeniable reasons to go out of your way to buy the good stuff with lower health risks.

Knowledge is power and it’s all part of Better Smarter Health.

REFERENCES:

Center for Disease Control & Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/general/index.html

Public Health Agency of Canada: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/fs-sa/fs-fi/ecoli-eng.php

Food Safety: http://www.foodsafety.gov/poisoning/causes/bacteriaviruses/ecoli/

Consumer Reports: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/food/how-safe-is-your-ground-beef

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