Month: November 2022

Those who eat junk food and have a poor diet only for tongue chatter should be careful that their habit for a long time not only increases the risk of obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes, but also severely affects the large and small blood vessels internally.

Scientists at the University of Leipzig in Germany have said that according to many pieces of evidence, poultry food, junk food, and fast food affect the walls of the veins inside the arteries, even endothelial cells can be affected. As a result, diseases and other diseases may become more prevalent. On the other hand, they can also result in obesity.

On the other hand, experts claim  that the sensitive system of metabolism is affected before eating junk types. It affects the blood vessels in the vital organs but has negative effects in different ways. For example, if the veins of the liver are filled with fats, then the veins of the kidneys start to fail at the metabolic level and the irritation in the veins of the lungs increases.

It can result in heart disease, neurological disease, obesity and other diseases. But Olga Bendrwa, a scientist researching diabetes and obesity in Leipzig, believes that bad eating habits lead to many diseases at the molecular level. But this research can help design treatments for each patient.

On the other hand, we can better understand the relationship between diet and disease. Scientists have also said that, on the contrary, a good, balanced, and proper diet can help eliminate diseases. Among them are vegetables, fruits, pulses, white meat and other dishes

Packaged lettuce arouses a lot of controversy. On the one hand, buying washed, sliced, and portioned lettuce or a mix of lettuce seems like a godsend and life improvement if you’re looking to save time in the kitchen. On the other hand, some warn that the lettuce in the package is a bomb of bacteria, “chemistry itself” or that it contains poisonous chlorine residues. We check how it really is.

There is a lot of controversy around pre-packaged salads. Many people consider them artificial and unhealthy, which is why they avoid buying lettuce in foil. Others treat lettuce in packages as a great convenience and even a must-have in a quick fit kitchen. Who is right? What is the right approach to lettuce in foil and are they healthy? Here are the answers to these questions.

Pre-packaged lettuce – advantages

Pre-packaged lettuce is becoming more and more popular in Poland and throughout Europe. Lettuce in foil packaging or packages offers a variety of greens. In salad mixes you will find: iceberg lettuce, lamb’s lettuce, spinach, beetroot, kale, carrots, watercress (the healthiest vegetable in the world) and many other types and species of greens.

Washed, portioned lettuce ready to eat it immediately after taking it out of the package, is certainly a convenient product. The most important advantages of pre-packaged salads are:

Time saving (you do not need to cut and clean lettuce);

convenience in the takeaway option (you can take a closed pack of lettuce with you and create a healthy lunch at a picnic or at work);

facilitating healthier eating (lettuce in packs is relatively cheap and easy to integrate into any menu);

the ability to mix different types of salads (you do not need to buy a head of lettuce or a large pack of arugula, you can bet on a mix of vitamins in a salad mix).

Packaged lettuce in foil – controversies

Packaged lettuce has a lot of advantages, but they also do not bypass the controversy. Some use them every day, others say that it is healthier than to buy lettuce in a plastic bag, it is not to eat a vegetable at all. Who is right? Here are the most common complaints about pre-packaged lettuce and greens.

Packaged lettuce: a habitat for bacteria?

The main complaint that is most often made against lettuce in plastic packaging is the fact that they are a habitat for bacteria. This is partly true, moisture and difficult access to oxygen are actually favorable conditions for the development of some bacteria.

There are known cases of detecting E. coli bacteria in packs with lettuce. In the UK, there was even a massive poisoning of more than 150 people who were given contaminated lettuce from a pack in a hospital.

In fact, the conditions in tightly closed plastic bags are conducive to the multiplication of bacteria. This is confirmed by the research of scientists from the University of Leicester, who recreated the conditions prevailing in foil packaging for lettuce. They confirmed that the atmosphere in the packaging promotes the growth of bacteria. Undesirable Salmonella bacteria even formed a special biofilm, that is, a structure that causes them to stick to the leaves and become especially difficult to remove. In some samples, the bacteria clung to the leaves even after thorough washing.

German scientists examined 24 lettuce bought in supermarkets in plastic packaging and found the presence of E. coli bacteria, but also Salmonella, on most of them. Even some antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria have been detected.

Indeed, prepackaged lettuce is more likely to multiply bacteria, but this is no exception: food products are not sterile. Food contaminants also happen in many other cases, and unwanted bacteria can also appear in chips, in dry products and on other vegetables and fruits. This is pollution at the production stage, but not a reason to demonize green vegetables sold in foils.

However, it is worth especially applying yourself to washing lettuce from foil. Also, make sure that the pre-packaged lettuce is stored well. If you want to prevent the most dangerous biofilm from forming, put the lettuce in a paper bag or open the package and place a paper towel in it, which will absorb some of the moisture.

Scientists’ discoveries about the presence of bacteria sound very dangerous and in fact it is better not to underestimate them. After all, the same bacterial strains live, for example, in the soil, so they are also found on vegetables from the greengrocer’s shop and your home garden.

Pre-packaged lettuce: bleached with chlorine?

When washing and cleaning lettuce, certain disinfecting compounds are used, which are designed to get rid of unwanted bacteria. However, everything proceeds in accordance with the planned and desired technological process. Substances authorised in food production are used here to ensure the safety of consumers.

Are you afraid that the lettuce in the package has been “soaked in chlorine” and is therefore less healthy? At the same time, you season the salad with salt and do not have such fears? After all, table salt is half made up of chlorine! The mere fact of the presence of chlorine salts in preparations used to purify various vegetables does not indicate poor quality of food.

Packaged lettuce: the chemistry itself?

The term “chemistry itself” used to refer to food is colloquialism. Of course, food is chemistry: every fruit and vegetable is made up of chemical particles, just like the human body! However, when it comes to residues of unwanted, toxic chemicals on the leaves of prepackaged lettuce, you don’t have to worry about them. Allowed lettuce does not have any harmful compounds that can cause poisoning if consumed in moderate amounts.

Packaged lettuce: soaked in plastic?

Does eating lettuce from plastic packaging cause food to contain more microplastics? Microplastics are undoubtedly an unfavorable ingredient for health, the effect of which on the human body is not fully understood. Many experts agree that it can, for example, predispose to hormonal disorders and even insulin resistance and obesity.

However, it turns out that every food is contaminated with microplastics. This has been confirmed by scientists. It does not matter if it is food from BIO crops or not. The method of packaging also does not strongly affect the content of microplastics. Plastic particles enter food much earlier: they are taken from water and soil. In today’s world, it is impossible to effectively avoid contamination of food with microplastics at the level of consumer choices, and the way of packaging is not very important here.

Is pre-packaged lettuce healthy?

If you are faced with a choice: eat the greens from the package or not eat it at all, the right choice is simple – eat lettuce from the package regardless of the type of packaging. However, if you have access to organic vegetables grown and packaged in paper, probably buying them carries a little less health risk (especially in terms of microbiological contamination of lettuce from foil).

Pre-packaged lettuce is therefore healthy, but it is worth preemptively treating it with greater caution and washing it thoroughly. The biggest disadvantage of lettuce (and other greens) from plastic packages is the potential microbial contamination. You will protect yourself from it if you follow the tips for preparing pre-packaged lettuce for consumption.

How to prepare pre-packaged lettuce for consumption?

Follow a few rules, and lettuce and other greens purchased in a package will be healthy and will serve to improve the quality of the menu.

Always wash lettuce and other greens before consumption, even if the packaging suggests that it is already washed.

If you are going to store lettuce for several days, pull it out of the package and transfer it to a container lined with towel paper, which will absorb excess moisture.

Do not buy greens in a plastic package if you see that part of the leaves is wet, wilted or rotten.

Discard the pre-packaged lettuce if you notice mucus on it, which may indicate the presence of bacteria and the biofilm they produce, which is difficult to get rid of.

Take precautions when choosing pre-packaged lettuce, however, remember that the digestive system of healthy people can cope even with food contaminated with bacteria. Stomach acids are designed to “disinfect” food and reduce the risk of poisoning. Of course, it is not worth the risk if you have suspicions about the quality of food. However, be aware that the mere presence of bacteria on the lettuce you eat does not indicate that you will be poisoned. Food consumed by humans is not sterile.

 Autumnal colds can cause significant exhaustion in sick children and their caregivers, causing chaos in the family’s schedule. The most prevalent and bothersome symptoms that lower a sick person’s quality of life are coughing, runny noses, sneezing, and fever. How can children’s cold symptoms be relieved?

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko: pexels.com

Autumn cold

Autumn is associated with changing weather, lower temperatures, wind, rain, and less sunlight, as well as for many people, diseases. Children are much more likely than adults to contract an infection. All as a result of their underdeveloped immune system. Most parents are familiar with the typical autumn cold, which is characterized by viral inflammation of the nose and throat mucous membranes.

Weakness is the disease’s first symptom. The kid might be tired and grumpy, complaining, and less hungry. Sore throat, runny nose, and fever are some of the most typical signs of the common cold.

How to deal with the symptoms of a cold?

We are all aware of how annoying a child’s fever or runny nose can be. Therefore, you need to move quickly. It is worth thinking about using paracetamol, vitamin C, and a nasal decongestant in cases of fever and chills, headache, muscle and joint pain, sore throat, blocked nose and sinuses, as well as runny nose.

How to strengthen immunity and protect against further infections?

First and foremost, it’s important to acknowledge that children have lower immune systems than adults, which makes them more susceptible to illness. We can, however, strengthen our resilience. How? Here are a few advices.

• Take care of your hand hygiene.
• Try to limit your child’s contact with sick people.
• Ventilate the rooms and humidify the air. 
• Take care of physical activity. Walk often (during a cold, as long as there is no fever and the child is feeling well, you can also go out into the fresh air).
• Eat properly. In autumn and winter, your menu should include warming dishes, such as porridge, kasotto, millet, and soups. 
• Take care of rest and proper sleep hygiene. 

 It is now grape season, and as a result, researchers have produced an intriguing analysis of its additional benefits.

They maintain that regular grape consumption enhances genetic expression, lowers fatty liver, and predictably lengthens lifespan; however, all of these studies were carried out on mice.

According to this study, which was published in the journal Foods, eating grapes ought to become routine. John Pizziotto, a professor at Western New England University, and his colleagues conducted this study. He claimed that food has a significant impact on the body and that the nutritional effects on the developing child begin during the mother’s pregnancy. The advantages of grapes are incredible.

The first advantage is that eating grapes lowers the risk of developing a fatty liver. because grape consumption alters the genes that cause this fat to increase (fatty liver disease). This condition, which can also lead to liver failure or cancer, is widespread throughout the world and affects an estimated 25% of the population.

Consuming grapes stimulates the production of antioxidant genes. Contrarily, grapes also possess the ability to counteract the negative effects of our junk food eating patterns, which include diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity. Additionally lowering the risk of weight gain is the consumption of grapes with meals containing chicken.

The fact that mice who were fed grapes lived longer—four to five years longer if measured on a human scale—is the third crucial finding. However, it hasn’t yet been tried on people. However, because it has already been done, it can be said that the mouse experiments can be applied to the human body. According to Dr. John Pizioto, eating grapes can also improve cognitive function and brain power.

Increased exposure to artificial light in the evening is linked to a higher risk of diabetes, claims a study that was published in Diabetologia, a journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes. The study discovered that nighttime exposure to outdoor artificial light (LAN) was linked to poor blood glucose regulation and an elevated risk of diabetes, a condition that affects more than nine million Chinese adults. are credited to Dr. Yu Su, who conducted this study with his colleagues from two Chinese universities.

The study, which was based on data from close to 100,000 Chinese men and women exposed to artificial light during the night, was reported in the Telegraph. Those who were exposed to the most artificial light had a 28 percent higher chance of developing a metabolic disorder and having their melatonin levels interfered with by light. Our circadian rhythm is regulated by the hormone melatonin. There is growing evidence that our chronic lifestyle is harming our health by preventing the production of melatonin. Regular exposure to artificial outdoor lighting has been linked to higher glucose levels, insulin resistance, and a higher prevalence of diabetes.

A study that was released on Tuesday in the journal Diabetologia found that people who lived in areas with the most nighttime light pollution had a 28 percent higher risk of developing diabetes than those who did not.

 According to a climate change analysis report, many health issues are becoming more prevalent and severe as a result of it.

Photo by Markus Spiske: Pexels.com

 In this area, researchers conducted 364 studies from 1990 to 2022, and the results showed that the rising global temperature and increasing climate intensity are linked to a number of diseases, such as stroke (rupture of an artery in the brain) and dementia (a degenerative disease of the brain). It is also increasing the number of migraines and making the nervous system stiff and unable to move.

 This research report was written under the leadership of Dr. Andrew Dhawan of Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, USA.

 According to the report, hospital admissions for dementia go up by 12% when the temperature goes up by 10 degrees Celsius. The researchers also said that not only are serious diseases on the rise, but also many mild diseases like headaches.

 Aside from this, mental stress and heart diseases are also on the rise because of the long and harsh hot weather. This is because the body has to work harder to keep its parts cool and move blood to other organs.

 Experts say that people in some countries and continents, like the United States, are also getting heart attacks, lung diseases, and cancer because of the hot weather.

Similarly, evidence has emerged that while breathing in polluted air, this pollutant gets absorbed into the blood, after which it causes brain function defects and neurological diseases.