September is food safety education month, a good time to take a look at what we know about storing and preparing food safely.

The Partnership for Food Safety Education suggests we take a look at some food safety myths.

Myth #1 Freezing Kills Harmful Bacteria That Can Cause Food Poisoning.

FACT: Bacteria can survive freezing temperatures. Freezing is not a method for making foods safe to eat. When food is thawed, bacteria can still be present and may begin to multiply. Cooking food to the proper internal temperature is the best way to kill
harmful bacteria. Use a thermometer to measure the temperature of cooked foods.

Myth #2 If You Eat a Vegan Diet, You Don’t Have to Worry About Food Poisoning.

FACT: Fruits and vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet, but like other foods they may carry a risk of foodborne illness. Always rinse produce under running tap water including fruits and vegetables with skins and rinds that are not eaten. Never use detergent or bleach to wash fresh fruits or vegetables as these products are not intended for consumption. Packaged fruits and vegetables labeled “ready-to-eat” or “washed” do not need to be re-washed.

Myth #3 Plastic or Glass Cutting Boards Don’t Hold Harmful Bacteria on Their Surfaces Like Wooden Cutting Boards Do.

FACT: Any type of cutting board can hold harmful bacteria on its surface. Regardless of the type of cutting board you use, it should be washed and sanitized after each use. Solid plastic, tempered glass, sealed granite, and hardwood cutting boards are dishwasher safe. However, wood laminates don’t hold up well in the dishwasher. Once cutting boards of any type become excessively worn or develop hard-to clean grooves, they should be discarded.

Myth #4 Locally Grown Organic Foods Will Not Cause Food Poisoning.

FACT: Any food, whether organic or conventional, could become unsafe with illness-causing foodborne bacteria at any point during the chain from the farm to the table. Consumers in their homes can take action to keep their families safe. That is why
it is important to reduce your risk of foodborne illness by practicing the four steps:Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill.

There are more games, six new games to be exact, in the “Can Do” Club House courtesy of Grey Olltwit Educational Software, a nonprofit charitable organization in the UK.

The new games help the user develop mouse skills, tell time, use the alphabet, do basic math activities, learn the US states through putting together a jigsaw puzzle and improve eye hand coordination by playing air hockey.

Simon Hensby founded Grey Olltwit Educational Software in the 1990’s to provide free educational software to those on low incomes, especially in developing countries. Those who can afford to pay for membership and advertising revenue helps the organization to provide free memberships to those who cannot afford to pay.

Grey Olltwit Educational Software is used in schools and homes around the world. Large corporations like the BBC and Olympus USA use it as well as many education authorities in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia.

Grey Olltwit programs are suitable for Whiteboards, Touch Screens and VLE’s (Virtual Learning Environments).

To access the games go to the “Can Do” Club House (click on the cloud that says club house  on the www.candostreet.com home page and click on the balloon that says More Games.)

To visit and enjoy the other programs and games on Grey Olltwit Education Software site go to www.greyolltwit.com

Every healthy diet endorses eating lots of fresh produce. But, even fresh produce carries a health risk…pesticides.The answer…buy organic, if you can, as produce grown organically is grown without synthetic pesticides or synthetic fertilizers.

The Environmental Work Group ( EWG), a nonprofit organization that uses the power of public information to protect public health and the environment put together a Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides, which identifies those fruits and vegetables that carry the highest risk of pesticides and those that are considered less of a pesticide risk.

What follows is their list of the “Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15 of Produce.” EWG suggests that you buy organic for produce appearing on the Dirty Dozen list as these fruits and vegetables have the highest levels of pesticides.

The Dirty Dozen of Produce:

1. Apples

2. Celery

3. Strawberries

4. Peaches

5. Spinach

6. Nectarines ( imported)

7. Grapes

8. Bell Peppers

9. Potatoes

10. Blueberries

11. Lettuce

12. Kale/Collard Greens

The Clean 15 of Produce:

1. Onions

2. Sweet Corn

3. Pineapple

4. Avocado

5. Asparagus

6. Sweet Peas

7. Mangoes

8. Eggplant

9. Cantaloupe (domestic)

10. Kiwi

11. Cabbage

12. Watermelon

13. Sweet Potatoes

14. Grapefruit

15. Mushrooms

Most children need help learning to be a good sport.

Being a good sport means being a gracious winner as well as a gracious loser. Losing is no fun and many children have a hard time losing. Some even demonstrate unacceptable behaviors such as throwing things and stomping off the game area.

Being a good sport  is a life skill as well as a social skill that children need to develop early in life as it will help them in so many life situations.

According to the United States Olympic Committee’s education program of 2007  on sportsmanship, a real athlete is a good sport. In the education materials the Olympic Committee gives the following definition of what it means to be a good sport:

An athlete who is a good sport is someone whose conduct and attitude demonstrate gracious behavior before, during, and after competition.  In fact, good sportsmanship demands that nothing be done before, during, or after a game to cheapen or detract from victory.

In yesterday’s “Can Do” Kids’ blog, Coach Campbell speaks with Hector about his behavior after losing a ping pong match and explains good sportsmanship.

The following resources can help a parent, teacher or coach help a child to understand the need for good sportsmanship and the ability to develop the attitude of a good sport.

Real Athletes are Good Sports:

http://www.teamusa.org/resources/u-s-olympic-education/real-athletes-are-good-sports

Kids’ Poster: “Being a good sport makes you a winner.”

http://assets.usoc.org/assets/documents/attached_file/filename/4977/USOCKids2007.pdf

Lesson Materials for Teachers from:

http://www.edgate.com/summergames/

“Olympic Spirit,” slideshow

http://www.teamusa.org/multimedia/photo_gallery/2449

Source: Ned Campbell, History Teacher, Head Wrestling Coach, James Madison High School, Brooklyn, NY

Energy drinks…what are they? Who should and shouldn’t be drinking them and why?

Supermarkets, gas station quick marts, even vending machines now offer a variety of energy drinks. Adults, teens, even children are now drinking them on a regular basis.

Athletes are scooping them up to get that extra boost thinking it will  help them do better in sports.

Adults are drinking them hoping to be more alert during meetings or just to get through a day following a poor night’s sleep. Children are drinking them to be cool!

Just because something is popular, doesn’t make it good for you. There is controversy over the  safety and suitability of energy drinks, especially when used daily.

According to Dr. Lori Bestervelt, NSF International Senior Vice President & Chief Technical Officer, there is  limited scientific evidence available that the consumption of energy drinks can significantly improve physical and mental performance.

Dr. Bestervelt states,”Energy drinks should not be confused with sports drinks, such as Gatorade or Powerade that are intended to re-hydrate the body. Sports drinks provide sugars, which the body burns to create energy and replenish electrolytes, helping to maintain salt and potassium balances in the body.

Energy drinks are formulated to deliver high concentrations of caffeine and other stimulants to give the drinker a rush of energy. Athletes use energy drinks to keep up their energy during intense physical activity and for an added edge during competition.

To provide a comparison, 8 ounces of coffee has about 108 milligrams of caffeine, brewed tea has 50 milligrams and 12 ounces of coke has 34 milligrams. Eight ounces of Red Bull, which is part of our certified for sport program, has 75 milligrams of caffeine. However, very highly caffeinated energy drinks have between 150-500 milligrams in 8 ounces.”

Dr.  Bestervelt cautions that consuming caffeine at these rates can lead to caffeine intoxication, and, at these high levels caffeine is a stimulant drug. For athletes, rather than re-hydrating their bodies, energy drinks may actually lead to dehydration. They are not formulated or designed to replace lost fluids during exercise.

Because of energy drinks’ high levels of caffeine and other stimulant ingredients, such as, green tea, yerba mate, yohimbine, bitter orange (synephrine or octopamine),vinpocetine, 5- hydroxyl trypophan, methylphenylethylamine (5-HTP) and ginseng, either alone or in combination, athletes could be putting their health at risk by consuming them.

To make matters worse, when these stimulants are used in combination with each other and mixed into one beverage they can also be associated with serious cardiovascular issues.

The bottom line is not enough is known yet about the combination of ingredients in energy drinks and their effects.

Source:

NSF International, a testing and certification organization committed to improving and protecting public health –  www.nsf.org