Healthy and emet?

[nikinlove927]

Ok, so I consider myself a little but of a health nut. I love exercising and taking care of myself. However, my diet suffers tremendously all because of this phobia. I limit what I eat or what I consider "safe foods" and yet I am still a little heavier than I would like to be. I know I don't eat enough fruits and veggies and protein but I literally panic anytime I want to eat healthy foods because I'm so scared that it's contaminated! I feel like every week there is some food recall for either berries, spinach, nuts and even peanut butter! I feel like nothing is safe except for most prepackaged things that are full of crap. I hardly eat meat because I fear I'll get sick from it too. I definitely go through phases with severity of this phobia and lately it's been pretty bad again. I have gained weight and I know it's because I've only been eating bread, cookies and bananas. Ugh! Does anyone else have a hard time eating healthy and or losing weight because of this phobia? It's such a catch 22.

[ChiGal]

Just make sure to thoroughly wash fresh fruits and veggies and cook meats until the correct temp and you will be fine. Also make your own frozen fruits and vegetables by buying fresh ones and freezing them.

[canonguy1]

every recall I've seen this year is flour, granola bars etc. you are less likely to get sick from meat actually. the only problematic vegetables are sprouts. but if you wash things properly and cook your meats you will be absolutely fine.

[AoD]

I wash the outside of peelable fruits with dish soap (like washing my hands) and I soak unpeelable fruits in a solution of diluted bleach then rinse them very well (obviously I don't do this for cut fruits, just those that are whole). That eliminates pretty much all chances of catching something from raw fruits because the recalls are usually for live microorganisms and not the toxins that cause symptoms.

Meat isn't dangerous if you buy it fresh and prepare it fresh. I do my groceries daily and only buy meat if it's been package the same day (or the day before). If you cook it well, there is no risk. For the record I mostly live on meat (barely cooked and sometimes raw, except for poultry) and it hasn't made me ill at all.

For nuts, you can just bake them in the oven if it scares you about contamination. They taste better roasted, anyway. Also keep in mind that a lot of the food recalls are for bacteria that mostly cause diarrhea, and not necessarily vomiting. I've had food poisoning a few times from eating out and it was just dysentry once (diarrhea with blood) and severe diarrhea the other time, but no vomiting at all.

ETA: Also try to buy fruit and vegetables that are from North America or Western Europe. Most cases of contamination are from Mexico, South America, China, etc.

[tiredofitall]

I buy, cook and consume meat weekly and never have I gotten food poisoning. Just make sure you refrigerate or freeze your meats as soon as you bring them home. Your diet is severely lacking in protein but if you are that afraid of eating meat, you can get protein from beans, tofu, and nuts. I've never heard of anyone getting food poisoning from any of the above foods.

[nikinlove927]

Thanks everyone for the great advice. We did our grocery shopping today and we got some chicken breasts and I got some veggies too. I cleaned and cooked my food for the week. It's nice to hear that none of you have gotten sick from meat that you prepare at home.

I will have to try the diluted bleach solution. How much do you use!?

[AoD]

For the fruits and veggies, here are the instructions I follow, they're commercial food prep guidelines:

In addition to sanitizing food contact surfaces, chlorine bleach solutions may be used for sanitizing raw fruits and vegetables during the washing or peeling process. The federal regulations that apply differ slightly from those for sanitizing solutions given above. The regulations (21 CFR Part 173) specify two conditions for the permitted
use of hypochlorite solutions in washing produce:
• The concentration of sanitizer in the wash water must not
exceed 2000 ppm hypochlorite.
• The produce must be rinsed with potable water following
the chlorine treatment.
Most operations, unless the produce is very dirty, will not need a sanitizer concentration greater than 200 ppm total chlorine to achieve the desired sanitizing effect. Contact times of one minute or greater are typically sufficient to achieve a thorough kill.

Any chlorine bleach that is used for making a sanitizing solution, whether for equipment or raw produce, must be of sufficient purity to be categorized as a “food grade” substance. Some commercially available household chlorine bleaches contain fragrances, thickeners and/or other additives not approved for food use. These products are not suitable for making sanitizing solutions.

Source is here.

200 ppm is one tablespoon per gallon. So that's all you really need. Rinse very well after this, chlorine tastes awful. But also keep in mind this is just an avoidance behavior, my parents never sanitize their fruits and veggies, they just rinse them, and they have never gotten sick from that.

Also, I have only gotten food poisoning while eating out about two or three times in the past ten years or so (never vomited from it) and I eat out very frequently so eating meat in restaurants isn't risky either. I eat beef tartare and sushi and it has never made me ill. You just have to choose reputable restaurants (or places where the premises and the workers seem clean) and you'll be fine.

[tiredofitall]

I would never have thought to soak my food in bleach before eating it. I would think that would make me sick. I simply rinse fruits and vegetables in water. I eat both daily and have never once gotten sick from a fruit or vegetable.

[chicajojobe]

Maybe start with cooked vegetables? For years I wouldn't eat salads because I was afraid they were contaminated. However, you can still eat vegetables.

Meat...I find red meat tends to be easier than poultry. I always worry about undercooked poultry and salmonella. Red meat, though, is easier. I know that with ground beef I just have to fully brown it and it'll be fine, and cuts of meat like steaks can be eaten a little bit rare safely because contamination doesn't reach the inside.

[chicajojobe]

every recall I've seen this year is flour, granola bars etc. you are less likely to get sick from meat actually. the only problematic vegetables are sprouts. but if you wash things properly and cook your meats you will be absolutely fine.

Get around this by sprouting your own at home from dried beans. It's really insanely easy. The normal "sprouts" are from mug beans, but you can also do alfalfa, clover, broccoli and a few others. You can find seeds for sprouting at heath food stores, soak for 8 hours then put in a jar with a nylon stocking across the top, turn upside down at an angle (a dish drainer provides the perfect angle) and then rinse and drain every day until you have sprouts. The only important safety measure is to be sure you get seeds for sprouting rather than seeds for planting.

[AoD]

I would never have thought to soak my food in bleach before eating it. I would think that would make me sick. I simply rinse fruits and vegetables in water. I eat both daily and have never once gotten sick from a fruit or vegetable.

It's not straight up bleach, it's diluted, and rinsed off very well afterwards. When done properly it is perfectly safe. After all, bleach is nearly the same stuff they use to chlorinate the tap water so it stays safe.

[tiredofitall]

We have well water so I never knew about the fact that public water is treated with something similar to bleach. I guess if you rinse the fruits well it would be safe. The thought just never occurred to me that using bleach in any form would be necessary.

[Dairyfreelife]

I never used bleach for produce. For deep cleans I soak them in water with a little distilled vinegar and rinse. This seems to also help them last a little longer as well. Just cook your meats thoroughly with thermometer to check temp and if worried cooked veggies are fine. Use canned beans if aren't eating meat unless you know how to cook beans well since canned have already been cleaned and cooked and certain beans can cause illness IF you don't cook them well. FYI I have cooked raw plenty and no illness has ever happened from it. It's not hard to cook at all. Tofu is good too. Lentils also. Be sure you are getting enough protein, iron and b vitamins as b12 is hard to get outside animal products. Can buy nutritional yeast to supplement if needed as well. I love it as has a light cheesy taste so sprinkle with some foods for flavor and extra nutrition.