Hold the Sprouts
ROCHESTER, MINN. -- You might want to forgo adding raw sprouts to your salad or sandwich. While rich in many vitamins and nutrients, raw sprouts have been linked to numerous outbreaks of E. coli and salmonella, according to the February issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter.
The Food and Drug Administration offers this advice on sprouts:
* Cook them -- Washing raw sprouts doesn't significantly reduce the risk of infection.
* Check the menu -- When you are eating out, request that sprouts not be used in your foods.
* Be wary of homegrown sprouts -- These may be a source of infection too, even if grown under clean conditions.
It's believed that the seeds from which sprouts are grown may become contaminated before harvest by runoff from animal agriculture waste or irrigation. And the warm humid conditions under which sprouts are grown are ideal for the rapid growth of bacteria.
Shelly Plutowski507-284-5005 (days)507-284-2511 (evenings)e-mail: [email protected]
Mayo Clinic Health Letter is an eight-page, monthly newsletter of reliable, accurate and practical information on today's health and medical news. To subscribe, please call toll-free 800-333-9037 and mention ordering code 9PR1.
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