Spring is an incredible season for eating. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the plump ripe tomatoes, sweet corn, and melons of the summer that we blow by the many treasures of the spring growing season. Whether we are talking about those crisp asparagus stalks, ruby red strawberries, or the season’s best lamb. Spring has a ton to offer, and one of my favorites...

Though we share this earth with a myriad of creatures and microorganisms that we cannot see with the naked eye, that doesn't mean we can't feel their effects. A Cyclospora infection is an excellent example of this. The word "parasite" conjures up this idea of something living deep within your guts and wriggling in there up to no good! And for a good reason. A...

We live in a world that is constantly changing. Ever since the pandemic of 2020, a focus on health has been at the forefront of our minds. But long before COVID-19, there have been threats to our health and safety in the food we eat. One such threat is salmonella, a bacterium that has been causing human illness for over a century. Salmonella can be...

Do you wash Meat before cooking? Is it something you should be doing … or just a cultural thing? “I felt sick the first time I ate unwashed chicken,” author Carolyn Desalu admitted in a recent editorial on Food52. Her Caribbean culture had long mandated meat washing —often with vinegar- or citrus-based solution—so it seemed unnatural for her to see a friend take chicken breast...

TABLE OF CONTENTS 01 What is Staph Food Poisoning? 02 Where Does Staph Come From 03 What Does an Outbreak of Staph Food Poisoning Look Like 04 Why Cooking Won't Stop Staph 05 What Are the Symptoms of Staph Food Poisoning 06 How to Prevent Staphylococcal Food Poisoning 07 Is There a Better Way to Clean Meat and Produce 08 How to Use the Detoxifier...

Atrazine is the second most widely-used pesticide in America, with 76 million pounds applied on crops across America each year. And it’s also banned in 35 countries (including the European Union) as a known hormonally active agent or “endocrine disruptor.” It’s able to chemically castrate frogs even in minuscule doses, and it’s one of the most commonly found contaminants in a wide variety of groundwater...

Regardless of where you are in life, you still owe most of your growth and nutrients to the farmers across our world. Countless hours get pooled into the fields and crops that provide for the masses, and there isn't a single person on Earth who could keep up with the kind of maintenance that that quantity of food requires. So it was a necessity, rather...

What is the number one cause of foodborne illness in the United States? Is it salmonella, shigella, or botulism? If you answered Clostridium perfringens, you are correct. While few people have heard of this particular bacterium, many have felt the consequences of having it throw a party inside their gut. So what can we do to prevent catching this bug? What are the signs and...

In the world of foodborne illness, there is a single set of viruses that makes up the majority of contamination in the food system. When people get "food poisoning," there is an excellent chance that they have crossed paths with one of the noroviruses. The number of foodborne illness outbreaks in the US per year is staggering. There are approximately 800 foodborne illness outbreaks per...

It’s the Only Bacteria with 11 Nobel Prizes … It doesn’t even need oxygen to grow. It’s the single most studied prokaryotic model organism, whose help has been essential for recombinant DNA development. More than 700 serotypes have been identified, some of which are entirely harmless and found within the human body—while others are potentially fatal. (Image source: Image courtesy of FDA) The humble E....

When someone thinks of the largest organism on Earth, their mind tends to lean toward elephants, giraffes, or the aquatic living blue whale. So, it might surprise many that the largest organism is actually… a mushroom. In Oregon, a behemoth of fungus-kind is paving its way across more than 2,200 acres of land in what we now know as the Malheur National Forest. It has...

Going to the local grocery store is a relatively innocuous activity. Millions of people do it daily in the United States alone, with little issue. But every once in a while, something happens that leads to the grocer becoming a potential source of infection. This type of infection rapidly gains steam throughout the community – a Listeria outbreak. Soon, people begin to fall ill, news...

Eating healthy is essential, and that’s no news. Yet, it can be hard to know what clean eating really means. In this article, we'll explore the concept behind eating clean and offer insight into how you can decide whether this approach is right for your lifestyle. We will walk you through some basics about what clean eating is all about and tips for making sure...

Agriculturally, the US is self-sufficient when its agricultural system is firing on all cylinders. In fact, it’s responsible for feeding Americans and large portions of the world. Put into numbers, we produce around 2.2 billion bushels of wheat per year. Nearly half of that is exported to other nations. The success of the American farmer hinges on a number of things, and pesticides are one...

You can find it in the soil, in the water, and even in the air we breathe. Extensive studies conducted by environmental experts show that 300 million people suffer from arsenic poisoning, with 13 million affected right here in the United States. Arsenic is a known toxin. It is also exceedingly difficult to trace the long-term effects of arsenic poisoning among smaller communities, let alone...

When I imagine the perfect world for food, I think of the slogan for Kix cereal: "Kid-tested. Parent-approved.” Wouldn’t it be great if all foods had that in mind? I'm not saying we should all start nitpicking everything in our local grocery store … or that parents should be slapping away school cafeteria food. Frankly, it would be enough if the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency...

The world of nutrition can be confusing. One week we’re told that we’re not supposed to eat eggs. The next week, a new study shows they’re great for you! With all of this flip-flopping, it can be hard to determine the answer to some of the longest-standing questions about our food. For example, is monosodium glutamate (MSG) bad for you? If we examine the scientific...

"This is 100% organic." I look over at the woman speaking to her friend and notice she's holding a tomato with no labels, just a white sign next to a box with the word: "ORGANIC." Her friend was impressed, encouraging her to buy the product immediately because it would "save the seals" and make for a healthier alternative to the dull, conventional tomato sitting two...

"No root. No weed. No problem." That's a slogan from Roundup, an herbicide brand under Monsanto-Bayer that guarantees "it's safer than table salt." It's well known for killing pesky weeds at the source, so they never return. And it's all thanks to the primary ingredient, glyphosate, which has the highest global production. (Image source: Image courtesy of Wikipedia) However, it's also earned infamy as a...

Healthy families are happy families. And these days, it's getting harder and harder to feed your family healthy foods. Even the best fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, and seafood could expose your children to pesticides, bacteria, and other toxins. Fortunately, there's a safe new way to enjoy your favorite fresh and healthy produce, meats, and grains without worrying about harmful toxins through the practice of food...