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Meet The Team / Heather Craven

Beware the family picnic or church gathering!

Food poisoning often occurs after eating a meal in a large, social setting such as a picnic, cookout, or cafeteria. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), foods in these settings are often prepared early and left unrefrigerated for long periods, allowing bacteria to form on the food. Food poisoning symptoms typically begin within two to six hours after eating the contaminated food. Signs of food poisoning are most often vomiting, fever, chills, headache, bloody diarrhea, weakness, and severe abdominal cramps. Treatment from a doctor is rarely necessary, unless dehydration occurs, says the NLM. To prevent dehydration, drink plenty of fluids, but avoid milk or drinks with caffeine. You should also avoid solid foods while severely nauseated. And antibiotics aren't usually needed to manage food poisoning.

I'm sure most of us have experienced food poisoning at some sort of summer get-together. We likely pinpoint the sickness to something we ate, often that strange tasting potato salad that looked good on the outside. The association of our discomfort with eating certain foods may then last a lifetime. Just as important, however, we may experience some sort of generalized bad feeling toward an activity, such as future church socials or family reunions. I wonder if anyone can trace the loss of their religious faith to a rancid salad... Just thinking.

Filed under: Science, Did you know?, Health & Medical

Even in moderation fast food is bad news

According to research, it you are going to pig out it should be on regular food, not fast food. In a study where monkeys were fed a diet consisting mostly of  trans-fats, the types of fats most commonly found in fast foods, the primates gained more weight than those fed the same number of calories containing unsaturated fats.

Trans-fats, or partially hydrogenated oils, are bad news. They are found in many fast foods, baked goods and processed snacks. They have been shown to significantly increase the risk of heart disease, even more than saturated fats found in animal products.

After maintaining the monkeys on the fat laden diet for six years, the trans-fat-fed monkeys had gained 7.2% of their body weight, compared to just 1.8% in the group who ate unsaturated fat. CT scans showed that the trans-fat monkeys carried 30% more abdominal fat, which is a risk factor for diabetes and heart disease. Although the data might prove informative to some fast food eaters, I can't help but feel bad for those poor monkeys.

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Filed under: Health & Medical

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Baptism by bulk, a Costco experience

After a week of summer vacation and trying to feed anywhere from four to five constantly ravenous teenaged boys everyday, I lost it. For six consecutive days I trudged to the grocery store stocking up on boy friendly foods, and spent the greater part of my food budget on the ungrateful oafs. In an effort to combat this problem, we decided to use our new Costco membership card and make the trek to the land of economy sized packages.

A Costco visit is no small effort on our part since we must drive about 175 to the nearest store; but when I weighed the one time trip against standing in the grocery line everyday while my toddler tried to pull everything within reach off the shelves, it seems like a swell idea. 

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Filed under: Stores & Shopping

Feeding vegetarian teens

I've heard it a number of times either in a friend's kitchen or at the drop off line at school, it's always mentioned in somewhat hushed tones. "She's a vegetarian now, you know." Or, "No, he won't eat that anymore, he's a vegetarian all of a sudden."

These comments are usually met with eye rolls and knowing nods of the head. For many households, the switch of a teenager's diet means two different meals to prepare, more shopping to do and yet another battle with the resident teen. Statistics show that many teens currently classify themselves as vegetarians. The reasons vary widely: health, religion, ethics, weight, fashion, environment. Whatever the case, the trend is growing.

Evidence that vegetarian eating is more and more abundant: veggie burgers, edamame and soy products are available at more grocery stores. Fast food restaurants are offering more vegetarian options.

I became a vegetarian when I was 15. By the time I was 19, I was a full fledged vegan. I read John Robbin's Diet for a New America and became inspired to abandon all animal products. However, when I had a child at age 22, the efforts of preparing vegan meals became too much and I fell off the wagon and stopped by a KFC. If my teenager were to suddenly give up ham and pepperoni, I think I would support him and maybe even join him.

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Filed under: Trends, Teens, Nutrition: Health, Books

A new use for vodka

Before I was a mother I would never have imagined using vodka for anything other than cocktails. But having long ago gone over the edge of maternal madness, most anything goes. I recently ran across a recipe for a vodka antiseptic hand gel that you can make yourself. The recipe involves the following:

Hand Gel Recipe

1 part vodka
1 part aloe vera gel
10 drops (give or take) fragrance oil

Stir. Store in a plastic bottle.

By purchasing a large bottle of vodka, you could likely enjoy a relaxing afternoon while maintaining very clean hands at the same time.

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Filed under: Health & Medical, Drink Recipes, How To

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