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Orlando, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — It’s well known that too much junk food and sugar are bad for your health. But what about artificial sweeteners and raw fruits and vegetables?
Cucumbers, carrots, onions, eggs, walnuts. These sound like great toppings for a healthy salad.
But in 2024, all these items were an ingredient in the latest E. coli and Salmonella outbreak. Every year, 48 million people get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of food-borne illness from food like these.
“It’s best if you are able to wash your fruits and vegetables,” said Shante Jeune, registered dietician at the University of Central Florida.
But the FDA says not to wash bagged and pre-washed greens because you’re more likely to contaminate them. The FDA also recommends skipping specially designed produce washes.
Now, what about other so-called healthy foods? Researchers from consumer reports found lead and cadmium in all 28 popular dark chocolate bars that they tested.
And artificial sweeteners are considered a better alternative to sugar. But the Cleveland Clinic found erythritol, an artificial sweetener that’s commonly found in foods marketed for weight loss and diabetes management, increases heart attack and stroke risk for days.
“After someone ingested a typical portion size of an erythritol sweetened drink for two to four days, their risk for heart attack, stroke death appears to be at least double what it would’ve been,” said Stanley Hazen, with the Cleveland Clinic.
Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic said instead of using artificial sweeteners, table sugar or honey are better alternatives.
Contributors to this news report include: Milvionne Chery, Producer; Bob Walko, Editor.
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