As part of your healthy lifestyle, washing your fruits and vegetables is essential. Even if you buy organic, the handling and packaging of your fruits and vegetables may introduce a variety of contaminants. Once someone has eaten contaminated food, the infection can be passed person-to-person, by hand-to-mouth contact. The bacteria are most often spread from person to person.
Help keep yourself and your family healthy by washing your produce before you serve it.

In May and June 2011, a different and mysterious strain of E. coli has led to the deaths of 25 people in northern Germany and one in Sweden. It has sickened more than 2,600 others in Germany alone. In 2006, tainted spinach led to the deaths of three people and sickened 204 people. The list goes on.

I use SunSmile Fruit & Vegetable Rinse made by Sunrider. It is an effective formula that rinses away pesticides, insecticides, dirt, waxy coatings, oily substances, pollution and other contaminants.
The primary cleansing agent in SunSmile is decyl polyglucose — a safe, edible, biodegradable compound derived from cornstarch and coconut oil, containing no harmful residues.
It is a Multi-use product you can also use it to clean your countertops and cutting boards. SunSmile cleans delicate produce like broccoli heads, field greens, and herbs—yet is strong enough to remove waxy coatings and sticky glazes. You will be stunned to see the dirt and residue left at the bottom of the rinse. An inexpensive alternative solution is a gallon of water and a few tablespoons of white distilled vinegar.

While E. coli is most often found in meat, it is not limited to it. The bacteria are also found in unpasteurized milk and apple cider, ham, turkey, chicken, roast beef, sandwich meats, raw vegetables, cheese and contaminated water.
In September 2006, the E. coli outbreak that killed three people and made more than 200 ill was traced to spinach grown in California. Bean and alfalfa sprouts have also been recalled due to E. coli contamination.
Fruits and vegetables that grow close to the ground are susceptible to E. coli contamination if, for example, improperly composted cattle manure is used as a fertilizer.
E. coli, salmonella and cryptosporidium can also be found in unpasteurized juice. Children, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems are encouraged to drink pasteurized juice or boil unpasteurized juice before consuming it.

You can’t see it, smell it or taste it. But food or water tainted with certain strains of E. coli bacteria can leave you fighting for your life, especially if your immune system is compromised or you’re very young or very old.
Proper food handling techniques can go a long way towards preventing exposure to E. coli. An easy way to prevent cross-contamination is to start with a clean work area, including your hands, and prep all of your fruits and vegetables before you even take the meat out of the refrigerator. Wash raw fruits and vegetables thoroughly before cooking or cutting them. Think about what is on the outside of an avocado or cantaloupe or mango. If you do not wash it first then when you cut through the skin any bacteria on the surface can transfer from your knife into the fruit.

Drink only pasteurized milk or cider. Drink water from a supply known to be safe.

Since most cases of E. coli contamination are passed from person to person, good personal hygiene is critical to protecting yourself: It’s impossible to know who/what has touched the food and where it’s been.

Grocery stores do not sterilize their produce; you are responsible for following a good wash cleaning procedure.

Lastly, stay healthy and keep your chigong (energy) healthy and strong so your body can fight back. That is your best defense for what life throws at you.

Peace and health,

Anna