Blogs, News & Info

How often have you glanced at a menu and noticed crusted food?

Menus are more often contaminated than you might think. In a recent study sponsored by ABC News, they found that menus that were swabbed for bacteria were often contaminated. It would make sense. Most people are seated at the restaurant table and are given a menu. After ordering, they may use the restroom to wash their hands before eating, but that means that they have walked in off the street with contaminated hands, fondled the menu and given it back to the waiter who then recycles them.

How often have you seen anyone clean a menu?

Well, I am happy to say, I witnessed a restaurant greeter wiping down menus with a germicidal spray.

I was so impressed; I took her picture and told her I would post it on my blog.

Wouldn’t you be?

Wouldn’t it be great if this became the standard?

Next time you see a dirty menu, ask for a clean one.

Perhaps management or staff will get the message.

Dr. H Stueven

Founder

DiningGrades.com

Perhaps two thirds of the time when I dine out, drinks are served with straws that are uncovered. The FDA Food Code requires straws be served with covers. Why?

If an uncovered straw is kept in a container, no doubt it got there because someone took it from a box and put it in the open container for ease of distribution. As the straw is put in the container, bare hands usually touch it. I would be amazed if anyone used gloves in that process. They are then exposed to casual touch or coughing or sneezing. Finally before it makes it into your glass, a server touches it again. No one washes their hands before touching the straws. So you end up with whatever bacteria is on their hands on your straw and in your mouth. Next time you are dining out, why not ask the waiters to just put his/her hands in your mouth and bypass the straw. Yuk!

Look at the accompanying picture. There is no way those straws can remain clean. Likely each time the server reaches for a straw, he/she touches another straw.

Your straw may have been touched multiple times.

Throw it away!

Be safe!

One more point on straws.

Those little dipsticks the bar tender puts in your glass as a stir rod are just as contaminated.

Don’t drink out of those.

Demand excellence. Don’t put your health at risk.

Dr. H Stueven
Founder

DiningGrades.com

Raw oysters, or for that matter, any raw seafood carries a risk for food poisoning. While there is a fascination with eating raw foods, like Sushi, there is risk. That risk includes Norovirus, Vibrio and Hepatitis A. While Norovirus is an aggravation and an inconvenience, Hepatitis A may have lasting effects. Those effects can include long-term liver disease and failure. In some cases it can cause death.

Until now there was no hope for the avid raw shellfish eater. Eat the raw food and take the risk.

Electron beam pasteurization has recently been studied by Texas A & M University as a means of reducing the risk of hepatitis A and Norovirus infections.  The FDA has approved the technology for other forms of seafood poisoning prevention.  While this is not yet commercially approved for shellfish pasteurization, it offers hope.

I have eaten raw oysters, when I was younger and less informed. Since studying food poisoning, I have been very reluctant to do so. I have learned of so many tragic stories. Eating raw seafood is similar to walking across a busy street blind folded. You will be fine some of the time, you risk injury some of the time and you risk death some of the time. Doesn’t seem worth it to me.

Pasteurization was first introduced as a means of reducing bacteria in milk in 1933. It is commonly used for reducing bacteria in fresh fruit juices. The process reduces disease and saves lives. Pasteurization uses temperature to kill the bad bugs. Electronic beam pasteurization is new to the food industry and holds promise.

For those still wanting to walk across the street blindfolded, at least take some precautions.

Dr. H. Stueven

Founder

DiningGrades.com

Physicians may finally be able to differentiate between the stomach flu and food poisoning. Luminex^R has gained FDA approval for a test that can detect 11 common bacterial, viral and parasitic causes of infectious diarrhea.

How often have you heard someone say, “ I must have eaten something that caused me to get sick” or “ I just had a touch of the stomach flu”? It has been difficult for physicians to know for sure what the patient has, so they, like you have been simply guessing based upon history or symptoms.  Both conditions can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, pain and fever. Some forms of food poisoning can cause blood in the stool from invasion of the bowel wall but both can cause traces of blood in the vomitus or the stool. This test changes that and should increase accuracy in diagnosis.

The test detects Campylobacter, Clostridium difficile toxin, E coli, Salmonella, Shigella, and Shiga-like toxin, 2 viruses (norovirus and rotavirus A) and 2 parasites (Cryptosporidium and Giardia with a reported 90% accuracy. These pathogens cause the majority of food poisoning. This becomes a great diagnostic tool. Notably absent from the list is E.Coli, a very important and toxic bacteria. As well there some very infrequent but potentially infections not tested. So it will not be 100% inclusive.

Next time you wonder if it is the stomach flu or food poisoning, ask your doctor to run a simple test and in 5 hours you will know. Perhaps with this rapid test we will be able to gather better statistics on the incidence of food poisoning.

This is not a commercial and we don’t have any financial interests in the company.

Dr. H. Stueven

Founder, DiningGrades.com

I am often asked, as a physician, “If it is natural, it has to be good for you, right?” Not necessarily.

· Lead is natural. Lead is completely toxic to the human body.

· Arsenic is natural. Arsenic is completely toxic to the human body.

· Too much Vitamin A can cause liver failure.

· Too much Vitamin C or Calcium can cause kidney stones.

· Too much Fluoride can cause brittle bones or stained teeth.

These are just a few of the “natural” elements or vitamins that cause health problems.

Half of all Americans use supplements. As a nation, we spend nearly $30,000,000,000. That is thirty billion on health food supplements. Enter one of these health food or nutrition stores and you will be offered all kinds of health benefit claims. Many, nay perhaps most, of the claims are not scientifically proven.  They are claims offered in some limited way by persons inadequately trained to do so. But people buy because they are seeking a fix, they are afraid of some health risk, they distrust medical opinions or they don’t want to spend money getting medical advice.

Now we learn that Gingko biloba, touted as a natural herb causes cancer in animals. It is not yet proven to cause cancer in humans but the evidence is concerning enough that the Center for Science in the Public Interest suggests consumers should avoid it. I would agree.

Some will laugh or ridicule that recommendations are based upon animal data but it is the scientific standard used to measure safety of ALL of our medications. While imprecise, it is the best society will allow.

Not all supplements will eventually be found safe for human consumption. If you choose to use a supplement:

· Use a supplement that is as pure as can be.

· Use a supplement that lists the quantity of the active ingredients, usually mg.

· Use a supplement from a reputable national company.

· Keep a watchful eye for any new scientific evidence that suggests risk.

Just as we are now learning that table salt, sugar, wheat, gluten, soy, lactose, etc. can cause health problems for some people, there is a reasonable chance your favorite supplement will be found to contain something that put your health at risk.

I guess when you take supplements; it is “buyer beware”.

Dr. H. Stueven

Founder DiningGrades.com