38 THE QUEENS COURIER • WELLNESS • OCTOBER 15, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
wellness
Eating healthy, eating safe
You try to eat healthy, but the one thing
you can’t control is who has been handling
your food and whether they are
practicing adequate food safety. Each year,
foodborne illnesses sicken close to 50 million
Americans and lead to more than
130,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths.
A lot of these illnesses are caused by simple
things like restaurant employees’ failure
to properly wash hands, cooking surfaces
and fruits and vegetables.
Foodborne illnesses present a greater
challenge to certain groups of people
with reduced immunity, such as children
younger than age 4 and people older
than age 50. Food can also become compromised
much earlier in the production
process, and for this reason food producers
are using a variety of means to keep
our food safe.
One approach uses the concept of hurdle
technology in which a variety of mild
steps (hurdles) are used to limit microbial
growth at each stage of production. Th ese
include combinations of weak acid treatments
with gentle heating and reduced
humidity, or alternating low heat and
chilling treatment. Th e fresh-bagged salads
you see at the grocery store are a good
example of this. Vacuum-packed products,
prepared under rigorous hygienic
conditions and heated at lower temperatures,
are another.
Other technologies include the addition
of antimicrobial agents such as enzymes
and other natural compounds that inhibit
the growth of bacteria or prevent oxidation.
Salt too is a very eff ective anti-bacterial
in food. In fact, it is the oldest known
food preserver. Salt is widely used in the
production of all cheeses, cured meats
and many fi sh dishes.
Salt preservation works by infl uencing
the amount of water that all microorganisms
require to survive and grow. Th e use
of salt in controlling water means that the
levels of other preservatives or processes
can be reduced. Th is means that microbiological
safety can be achieved with
reduced heat, acidity and other preservatives.
Th is results in a product of vastly
improved taste and nutritional quality
because of the improved retention of
other nutrients.
However, as the federal government
pushes companies toward lower salt content
there are some concerns that it could
aff ect food safety and increase the amount
of preservatives that must be used. Many
prefer salt as the more natural choice.
Fortunately, food safety is a leading
concern of the Food and Drug
Administration and its Commissioner,
Scott Gottlieb, and the newly appointed
Deputy Commissioner, Frank Yiannas,
who was previously Vice President of
Food Safety at Walmart, and Director of
Safety and Health at Walt Disney World.
Food safety is an ongoing challenge for
an enormous and complex food system,
and although challenges continually arise,
exercising caution and attention in food
purchasing, storage and preparation will
minimize the risks. Remember to not only
eat healthy but to also eat safely.
Courtesy BPT
St. John’s Episcopal Hospital awarded earns top honors
BY QNS STAFF
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
St. John’s Episcopal Hospital has again
been recognized for it’s stroke and heart
care.
Receiving the American Heart and
Stroke Association’s “Get With Th e
Guidelines” award, the hospital has been
recognized for providing high performance
treatment for stroke and heart
patients.
While this is the fourth consecutive year
that the hospital has been recognized for
its stroke care, it’s the fi rst year it’s won the
achievement award for heart care and has
ranked as “high performing” in COPD by
U.S. News & World Report.
“We’ve managed to successfully integrate
the Get With the Guidelines criteria
and metrics for heart failure and
stroke care into our clinical practice to
achieve the best possible outcomes for our
patients,” said Karen Gleason, the hospital’s
chief quality offi cer. “Attaining these
prestigious awards is refl ective of the tireless
eff orts and commitment of St. John’s
team members.”
Situated in Far Rockaway, where heart
disease is the leading cause of premature
death, the hospital has a special focus on
heart disease and strokes.
“St. John’s Episcopal Hospital is dedicated
to providing the utmost quality care to
our patients,” said Jerry Walsh, the hospital’s
chief executive offi cer. “Implementing
the American Stroke Association and
American Heart Association’s Get with
the Guidelines initiatives provides the
tools and resources we need. Th is allows
us to track and measure our success
Photo courtesy of SJEH
in meeting the evidence-based clinical
guidelines developed to optimize patient
outcomes.”
link
/WWW.QNS.COM
link
