Meatless meals can curtail risk of foodborne illnesses
Published: October 21, 2009
Updated: October 21, 2009
We’ve long known that cheese and ice cream aren’t health foods, but is your side salad really a health risk? A recent report outlines the 10 foods regulated by the Food and Drug Administration that cause the most cases of foodborne illness. Cheese, eggs, ice cream and tuna are among the riskiest foods, but the report also implicates leafy greens, tomatoes and sprouts.
As a dietitian, I know that when otherwise healthful produce becomes contaminated, it’s because it has come in contact with water tainted by animal manure or meat products. Salmonella and E. coli are intestinal bacteria, and spinach and sprouts clearly have no intestines. A recent front-page story in The New York Times drew attention to the meat industry’s role in spreading foodborne illnesses.
Consumers can help curtail everyone’s risk of foodborne illness by opting for meatless meals, which would reduce the number of animals on farms. This healthy change also helps lower the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer.
Susan Levin, M.S., R.D.
Director of Nutrition Education
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Washington, D.C.
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Reader Reactions
Not everyone is diabetic, nor are they all overweight. Those who have common sense know what is good and not good for you. Anemic people need Iron. Iron pills do not get processed in the body as well as eating foods with Iron. Meats do provide this i.e. liver red meat, etc. Hey if the food handlers washed their hands after using the bathroom would cut down on foodborne diseases. The spinach scare was from workers using the fields as their toilet. That was admitted by the employer. Nurse, take your politics elsewhere and don’t dictate what is or isn’t good for me because you do not know me. People do need to look at this on a personal level because people like this will dictate directly to you. That Healthcare bill is the prime example. They will tell you what is or isn’t good.
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