1. I know you’ve heard this before, but it is SO important that it bears repeating: CHEW, CHEW, CHEW. This means both slowly and thoroughly. To be totally graphic about it, you want anything you swallow to be a soupy consistency. Especially meat. For starters, digestion starts in the mouth. There are thousands of tiny neuro-receptors in the mouth that send messages to the brain about what is about to come down the pike. [Read more →]

First World Wide Rights to Let’s Live Magazine, 2004

More than 5,000 Americans die every year from food poisoning. Airport security has received lots of press attention in the past few years, but perhaps we should be paying closer attention to our food and water supply. Admittedly, the people that die from food poisoning are usually in the under 5 and over 65 year old crowds. Nevertheless, a nice case of E. coli, Salmonella or Shigella can definitely keep you housebound for a week or so. Food poisoning is often due to one of these bacteria, but viral infections, such as the Norwalk virus, are increasingly common. The “stomach flu” is the most common cause of infectious diarrhea in the US and viral epidemics are spread through contaminated food or water.

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