The John Tesh Blog

Get Your Fruits and Vegetables Thoroughly Cleaned

It’s no surprise . . . almost any produce – organic or non-organic - that ends up in your grocery bags will most likely still be covered with fertilizer, soil, dust, bacteria, fungi or pesticides.

To detox your fruits and vegetables, you'll vigorously wash them off with water before eating or cooking. After all, you don’t want to infect your family members or dinner guests with bacteria and pesticides.

However, according to a new report, dousing fruits and vegetables in water may not do the trick.  Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture have been experimenting by injecting food-borne bacteria such as E. coli and salmonella into vegetables and then cleaning them with water and hypochlorite treatment.

After applying these standard-cleansing methods, the water and the chemical wash did not significantly reduce the bacterial levels.  U.S. Department of Agriculture experts claim bacteria can hide inside a leaf and escape being washed off.

The only procedure that kills off 99.9% of harmful bacteria is irradiation – an electron beam that alters a cell’s genetic material and kills harmful parasites, germs and insects.   

Unfortunately, the U.S Food and Drug Administration has not yet approved this sci-fi procedure.  They’re concerned shooting an electron beam at your produce will compromise their nutritional value.

Yet, the American Institute For Cancer Research reports eating lots of fruits and vegetables far outweighs any potential risks from low-level pesticide residue on produce.

So, what’s the most effective way we have for cleaning our produce?  The old standby: wash them thoroughly with water. 

Here are some tips on how to make sure your fruits and veggies are truly healthy:

First, place your items in a colander and run the fruits and vegetables under water. Use a brush to remove insects and dirt as well as bacteria and pesticide residue. Some health food stores sell special food safe detergents that help clean off the food. The concern with detergents is that these items leave a soapy residue that can cause diarrhea.

Here’s an important tip not to be ignored: Even if you purchase bagged lettuce labeled pre-washed three times, you should still wash it.

Second, be sure to wash citrus fruit and melons regardless of their outer covering. Don’t be fooled by that thick layer of skin. It‘s not a sign the fruit should not be washed.

When you peel an orange, contaminants from the orange peel can attach to your hands.  While you’re peeling the fruit, the bacteria travels to the inside section of the orange via your contaminated hands.  If you do not clean the outside skin of a melon, bacteria can be transferred to the fruit through the knife you use to slice it.

Finally, take the extra measures to prepare your fruits and vegetables properly. Remove any bruised portions before eating any of your produce. To remove the wax off an apple, you'll simply need to peel it.

Did you know the little stickers on fruit are made of edible paper?  It’s best to peel off the stickers before washing the fruit to be sure the part underneath is clean.

I’m sure many of you in the blogosphere have your own great suggestions on how to wash fruits and vegetables. I invite you to post your ideas on the John Tesh Blog and share them with all our readers.

John
Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

For more lessons on how to eat healthy,  you can find them in my new book  Intelligence For Your Life:  Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth.  You can buy my book at your local bookstores or order it online from Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.

Caffeine: Your Kid's Drug of Choice

Early tomorrow morning cruise by any Starbucks located near a high school or middle school. What do you see? Kids! Kids drinking coffee!

Kids are into coffee at an earlier age more than ever before. The percentage of 18 to 24 year olds who drink coffee daily has doubled since 2003, from 16% to 21%, according to the National Coffee Association.

In the Montgomery Blair High School’s Online Newsletter, students posted their concerns with their fellow classmates’ use of caffeine:

•"Too many teenagers are addicted to caffeine. Young people today drink too much coffee and too much soda." -sophomore Tasha Prados

• "I know tons of people who stop by Starbucks in the morning to get their "fix" or else they complain the whole day about how they're tired.” -sophomore Jung Han

Let’s answer the major questions connected to the caffeine revolution among teens . . .

Why are kids suddenly hip to caffeine? Well, it’s everywhere . . . The stimulant is found not only in coffee, but also in tea, many soft drinks, chocolate, pain relievers and over-the-counter medications. Teens are also getting a serious caffeine fix from those energy drinks in the tall aluminum cans.

Some argue the reason for today’s teenage caffeine rage is that they’re chronically sleep deprived. 200 high school students took part in a 14-day study. They reported on the time they went to bed and woke up, any caffeine intake, and any naps they took. At the end of the study, the researchers found teens with higher caffeine intake slept fewer hours at night and took more naps during the day than those who had less caffeine. Hence, the need for more caffeine!

What are the downsides of caffeine? Let me give it to you straight. Caffeine causes anxiety, dizziness, headaches and the jitters. After all, caffeine is a stimulant that affects the central nervous system. Next time you’re stressed, remember that cup of java can make you more nervous.

Another downside is you end up needing more and more caffeine to get the jolt you’re looking for. When you have a large daily intake of caffeine, you develop less sensitivity to it and need more to get the same effects.

Caffeine can cause a person to lose calcium and that can lead to bone loss over a period of time. Doctors also warn caffeine can aggravate certain heart problems.

What’s a normal intake of caffeine? Experts in the American Dietetic Association consider 200-300 milligrams (mgs) of caffeine a day to be a moderate amount for adults. If you only consume 100 mgs a day, you’re still in danger of becoming dependent on caffeine. FYI: a 12-ounce cup of Starbucks coffee contains 260 mgs of caffeine.

For teens who need a fix of caffeine to get through classes or late night homework, they should limit their intake to 100 mgs of caffeine a day. Kids should consume a lot less.

To reduce your kid’s intake of caffeine try these steps:
•First, avoid caffeinated drinks in the evening. Instead, offer them water, milk or 100% fruit juice.
•Second, make plans to allow for plenty of time for homework, studying and writing reports. This will cut down on the desire to drink coffee.
•Third, help your teen plan how to get enough sleep. Some activities may need to be cut down to get into bed at a reasonable hour.
•Fourth, when your child gets tired and needs a lift, suggest they take a nap . . . not a Coke or a can of Red Bull.

John
Email John: johnsblog@teshmedia.com

Have your heard about my new hardcover book Intelligence For Your Life: Powerful Lessons for Personal Growth? You can pre-order it today at half price and you'll receive a free concert DVD by just clicking here.

Do You Drink Water From A Sink or a Store?

Everyone has climbed on to the bottled water bandwagon. In capping off the year 2007 Newsweek reported Americans drank 8.2 billion gallons of bottled water, an increase of 9.5 % from the year before.

Despite the cleaner look of bottled water, studies show bottled water is not any safer than tap water. In fact, Benjamin Grumbles, head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency water programs, claims "It's an urban myth that bottled water is safer than tap water."

Though you might shudder to think of filling up your glass with tap water and chugging it down, consider this: Tap water might not be so bad after all. Why?

1. Tap water is tested daily. In compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act, water suppliers are required by the EPA to test tap water daily. In comparison, the FDA tests bottled water on a weekly basis.

One LA Times article refers to the FDA testing big city tap water at least 100 times a month.

Over the years the FDA has adopted the EPA standards for tap water and applied them to bottled water. What a surprise! The standards for the amount of contaminants allowed in tap water and bottled water are the same.

If you’re wondering about your own tap water, click here to check on the quality of your state’s drinking water.

2. Tap water is less expensive. Bottled water costs 500 times more than tap water which costs less than a penny per glass compared to $7 a gallon for bottled water.

If you’re concerned that you’re spending too much on bottled water, try making an initial investment in a filtration system that purifies the water as it comes through the tap. According to one water filtration systems manufacturer, Brita, its high-end faucet system provides water for $0.18 a gallon, a considerable savings from $1 or more charged for an 8 to 12 ounce bottle of water!

3. Tap water is a tooth saver. There is more fluoride in tap water than in bottled water. Fluoride promotes strong teeth and prevents tooth decay. It is highly recommended that people who drink bottled water exclusively should inform their dentists of their water selection and take fluoride supplements.

4. Tap water doesn’t taste too bad. One spokesperson in the Minnesota Department of Health agrees that tap water may sometimes look or taste differently. Yet almost half of bottled water starts out as tap water.

The strange look of tap water does not mean it’s unsafe. Usually, the most dangerous contaminants are those that people cannot see, smell or taste. If you don’t like the taste of your tap water, run it through a Brita or Pur filter to remove most tastes and odors.

5. Tap water is better for our environment. According to Newsweek, the EPA released new data that shows manufacturing the 29 billion plastic bottles used for water in the United States requires the equivalent of more than 17 million barrels of crude oil.

A Yahoo article also brings out an often neglected fact: 60 million bottles a day are tossed into US landfills where they can take up to 1000 years to biodegrade. Bottled water may be healthy for your body but not for the environment.

So what’s your water of choice? Bottled water or stuff that drips out of your faucet? It’s your choice but at least now you can make an informed selection. Bottoms up!

John
Email John: johnsblog@teshmedia.com

Have your heard about my new hardcover book Intelligence For Your Life: Powerful Lessons for Personal Growth? The book is due out in early March but you can pre-order it today at half price and you'll receive a free concert DVD by just clicking here.