The Run-In with Seafood Poisoning

Recently, there have been a number of seafood poisoning cases that were circulating to the general public. Unfortunately, the seafood delicacy dilemma is on the rise.

Seafood poisoning is an ordeal that no one wants to deal with, but for many individuals, it is a subject matter that can be discussed from a personal standpoint. I had my run-in with eating contaminated fish.

About three weeks ago, after I indulged in the delicious fish dinner along with two other individuals, a stomach "glitch" occurred. A couple of hours after eating the fish, I thought that drinking water and juice would cure the stomach. How wrong was I? Very wrong! Instead of feeling better, it was the opposite. I began to vomit--at least three times; a headache came along a short time later, and there was the best part of the drama, the "diarrhea chronicles." These episodes lasted for at least five hours. The other two people that ate the same type of fish dinner as myself suffered the same fate. I had just realized that the fish that was consumed was contaminated. The fish was very well-cooked.

This was the case of the Ciguatera poisoning, which is the type of poisoning that consists of certain algae and algae-like organisms, or dinoflagellate. The fish that are consumed by people become poisoned as the they eat the contaminated algae. The poison is called ciguatoxin, which is also "heat-stable," meaning regardless on how well the fish is cooked, the fish is still contaminated and poisonous. This is one of the most common forms of seafood poisoning. There are also the scombroid poisoning and shellfish poisoning.

In the case of scombroid poisoning, the normal bacteria that are present on the seafood build up a very substantial amount of histamine substances. This is the result of it dying and they are not refrigerated or frozen soon after. Mackerel and the albacore are examples of fish that can contain scombroid poisoning.

With shellfish poisoning, the algae-like organisms are built-up in certain types of seafood. It mainly appear in seafood, as in clams and oysters. If anyone want to know about the symptoms of seafood poisoning, here are some of the symptoms to observe:

-Ciguatera: This can happen within two to twelve hours after the consumption of fish. Symptoms may include abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. For the most part, he/she may experience a headache.

-Scombroid: Scombroid poisoning usually occur immediately after the seafood consumption. The symptoms are extremely red skin on face and the rest of the body. Nausea, vomiting, hives, itching, and flushing can also be an issue with this poisoning.

-Shellfish: There are several types of shellfish poisoning: paralytic, neurotoxic, and amnestic.

-Paralytic: With paralytic poisoning, numbness can occur half an hour after eating contaminated seafood. Individuals can also become temporarily paralyzed in the upper and lower extremities. Diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea can also be the end result.

-Neurotoxic: Symptoms are very similar to ciguatera poisoning with the vomiting, nausea, and diarrhetic experiences. It may include numbness in the mouth and the headache, just to name a few.

-Amnestic: This form of shellfish poisoning is very uncommon. Like the other forms of seafood poisoning, it begins with vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea. Other symptoms include some short-term memory loss and less frequent neurologic symptoms.

A large number of people throughout the world partake in eating some type of seafood, whether it is catfish, mackerel, or even shrimp. Before anyone attempt to eat any type of seafood, he/she should be educated about the different types of seafood poisoning. After having knowledge on these potential poisons that can appear in seafood, the consumers can be aware of the possibilities after eating fish or other seafood.

Source:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002851.htm

From the Popcorn Critic's Perspective

We go in destination places such as the carnival or in movie theaters and smell that very buttery flavor traveling to our nostrils. What do most of us do when that scent reaches our noses? Get hungry and invest in that wonderful and tasty, fluffy corn that we know as simply popcorn.

At each minute that popcorn is eaten, one cannot help to wonder how can a simple little piece of corn could turn into these big and fluffy edible little superstars. The process is easier that what it appears.

Everyone knows that popcorn comes from corn, obviously. What really makes corn turn into this stuff? Well, the corn makes its expansion from the kernel and becomes inflated when it becomes hot. But unlike other types of grains, popcorn kernels are equipped with a hard moisture-sealed hull and a filling that contains a certain amount of starch. With the hard covering on the kernels, it lets pressure build inside until it expands and the popcorn and its sound are born.

There are many different ways in which popcorn is served. It can be served sweet, buttery, salty, or whichever suits the to-be popcorn consumer. When we go in our local supermarkets or a convenience store, we see that in terms of popcorn, there are various flavors to choose from. The flavors usually range from white cheddar, regular cheddar cheese to original, which are usually plain. Caramel popcorn are also sold. However, expect to pay a higher price for them--at least from my experience.

Popcorn sales go beyond the supermarkets and the convenience store. There are shops that specializes in popcorn. For example, Garrett's Popcorn in downtown New York City and Chicago, they have a variety of popcorn styles (i.e. Caramel, Chicago Style Mix, etc.). The popcorn at Garrett's are tasty and addicting; however it is quite expensive.

There is the story with the microwaveable popcorn. Thank goodness for these portable little kernel bags. We can carry it everywhere we choose to go, providing if a working microwave is available! It is the perfect tool for the popcorn cravings. Many of us know that the microwaveable popcorn contain many flavoring agents, such as butter. The downside to some of these agents are that it contains diacetyl, which is responsible for some people suffering from respiratory dilemmas.

As far as nutritional value is concerned, the air-popped popcorn tends to be much higher in terms of fiber, lower in fat and in calories, sodium is almost non-existent, and no sugar added. When it comes to the good old flavor, large amounts of fat, sugar, and sodium are added to the already-fixed popcorn. As a result from all of this "preparation," the nutritional value can be much lower, but those flavors give the popcorn the "enhancement" that many people are looking for. When people are eating this stuff, the least thing that he/she is worried about are poor diet choices; it is the taste that is being craved.

Speaking of health risks, popcorn is one of those foods that according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children under the age of four should not be eating popcorn because of their chances of choking on it is very likely. I do notice that when there is a popcorn commercial, the children are usually over the age of four. Children that are under four years old do not realize when popcorn is eaten, part of the popcorn particles can break apart. This part is usually the cause of choking, even with many adults.

Regardless of the ups and down of consuming popcorn, it is still a must-have fluffy snack, especially when going to see a potentially good (or boring) flick at the local cinema. I will eat popcorn to that!

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn

Getting Tipsy From Eating Whip Cream

When we go into the supermarket or any place else for whip cream, we expect for the cream to bring some type of food flavoring adventure, right? It does bring that wonderful zest to the food. But what happens when it is bringing in a little too much excitement? The unexpected.

Apparently, the whip cream that has been making news is making people drunk. The majority of the population that is using this stuff are individuals under twenty-one. Recently, there has been some least expected drinks and foods to make the news. First, it was the Four Loko drink; now it is something that most people would not imagine that would spark up some controversy--the whip cream. Guess what the Four Loko and the Whipped Lightning have in common--alcohol.

This is not just any ordinary whipped cream that we would get from our local grocery stores. Instead, it is the type of whip cream that will cause an instant hangover. The disturbing part about it is that underage people and adults alike are becoming intoxicated as a result from eating whip cream.

In the Boston Herald report, it stated that these whip cream canisters are thirty proof and have a variety of flavors, such as chocolate, raspberry and cherry. Thirty proof whip cream? It people were to have a thirty proof Jack Daniels bottle in the car, then he/she would be charged with driving under the influence and/or public intoxication. But no one would be arrested for having a can a whip cream in his/her possession, even with alcohol. It can easily go undetected and unnoticeable. We would not have given it a thought.

But according to Dr. Anita Barry, director for the Boston Health Department, she stated, "They [drinkers] can get a significant amount of alcohol in one shot." This means that if someone decides to put Whipped Lightning on a pumpkin pie, then this individual can become tipsy after one big squirt.

Recently, I checked out the Whipped Lightning website. According to the website, it is described as "one-of-a-kind alcoholic beverage that's sure to excite your inner Whipalogist. Why not practice a little Whipalogy today?" This website is easily accessible to everyone, including people under the age of twenty-one, the legal drinking age in the United States. Does anyone knows what this mean? An underage person can get access to this website, order and purchase any type of Whipahol products that he/she choose without asking for a birthday. This also gives these kids the opportunity to lie about his/her age. It seems that this website is promoting adolescent alcoholism due to the website's easy access.

I downloaded an image of one of its products, the Amaretto Whipahol. On the bottle, it asks, "Are you a Whipaholic?" According the bottle, the ingredients that it contain are grain neutral spirits, amaretto liqueur, cream and artificial and certified colors. It was pretty shocking!

The Whipped Lightning is available in the following states: Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Louisiana, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and New Jersey. Some states require special ordering: Utah, Wyoming, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.

The going price for these whipped cream canisters are in the twelve dollar range. This stuff is pretty expensive to be eating one's way to inebriation!

Now that the alcohol-fueled whip cream are making headlines, how do we know that the whip cream that are sold in our local supermarkets contain some alcohol? We do not know. There is only one way to find out!


Sources:

http://www.whippedlightning.com
http://www.whippedlightning.com/where.jsp
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2010/11/29/whip-alcohol-laced-whipped-cream-raising-concerns/

Truth Behind the Energy Bars

Many people may be short on time for the preparation of the traditional breakfast, lunch, or even dinner. As a result, he/she may grab a snack. On many occasions, this is the energy bar.

Why the energy bar? For the obvious reason, it gives us energy, right? Originally, the energy bar was meant to increase the athletes' physical stamina, but the thing is that athletes are not the only ones that eat energy bars.

But in reality, energy bars has turned into many different versions of protein bars, cereal bars, snack bars, and the list goes on. This goes beyond the physical fitness purpose. It is trying to suit individuals on a diet who are focused on the low fat to low carb craze.

People do not realize that Americans usually spend more than $1.4 billion a year on these energy bars. This is due to the fact that many marketing campaigns are promising people that this stuff will make them have more energy and a physically fit and trimmer waist.

Energy bars are classified into three categories: higher in protein, moderate in protein and carbohydrates, and higher in carbohydrates. A couple of examples of the higher in protein energy bars are Atkins Advantage and Balance. Then there is the moderate in protein and carbohydrates, which will be Ultra-Slim Fast and Power Bar. The higher carbohydrates are the Power Bar and Power Bar Harvest.

There are some energy bars that are mainly focused on people on certain weight loss plans, in which there are a few advantages. These particular bars have automatic portion-size control. In this way, eating an energy bar can prevent people from becoming very hungry.

Are energy bars a healthy choice in terms of snacks? In terms of snacks, energy bars do have a one-up nutritional edge over candy. People should use his/her common sense with these bars. As with any type of food, individuals should not rely solely on bar foods for supplementation of high-quality nutrition. Most of these bars have not so healthy calories to qualify for a full-course meal. Fruits, vegetables, or low fat yogurt or cheese should be the healthier food snack. If anyone need an extra energy boost through the day, these bars will not solve the problem; in fact it is short-lived.

The bottom line is that individuals should not eat energy bars as if he/she are eating an entire bowl of spinach. These bars do contain a great amount of sugar along with some of those sixteen letter chemicals.

Source:

http://www.consumerreports.org/health/healthy-living/diet-nutrition/healthy-foods/energy-bars-705/index.htm

The Yogurt Story

Yogurt: a fermented slightly acid often flavored semisolid food made of milk and milk solids to which cultures of two bacteria (Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus) have been added.

The vast majority of people in the world do not know that yogurt has been eaten and created for approximately 5,400 years. That is a very long time for yogurt to be in existence.

Like anything else that lives on our planet, yogurt has its story. Until the beginning of the twentieth century, it was considered to be the “common food” to the populations in locations, such as in the Russian Empire, Western Asia, Southeastern Europe/Balkans, Central Europe, and India. Yogurt madeits steps in to the United States in 1929, thanks to Sarkis and Rose Colombosian, who were Armenian immigrants.

The Colombosians founded Colombo Yoghurt, which was originally centered around the New England region on a horse-drawn wagon. The word that was on the wagon was “madzoon,” which is Armenian for yogurt, which was later changed to the word that we know today as yogurt. But during that time period, Turkish was the language of the area which included other immigrants that lived in the area.

In modern times, yogurt has become a common and a popular American food item. Sadly, Colombo Yogurt was marketed in 1993 to General Mills, who would later discontinue the brand in early 2010.

Not only yogurt has a very good taste, it also has some health benefits. Some of the unique health benefits are that it contains calcium, vitamin B6, riboflavin, or vitamin B2, and vitamin B12. It is also protein-rich. There is good news for people who are lactose intolerant. Individuals that are somewhat lactose-intolerant can eat yogurt without having a sick feeling due to the majority of the lactose that are present in the milk is changed to lactic acid in part of the bacteria culture.

Other yogurt's health benefits include aiding an individual from having diarrhea that is accompanied by the use of antibiotics. Yogurt may also play a role in having healthy gums due to the presence of lactic acid.

Recently, a visit to the supermarket was long overdue for yogurt. As I was searching for the perfect yogurt, Activia is the one that was purchased. In this case, the vanilla was the flavor of choice. The ingredients that are in this little plastic cup are as follows:

Cultured Grade A reduced fat milk, fructose syrup, sugar, contain less than 1% of fructose, whey protein concentrate, corn starch, modified corn starch, kosher gelatin, natural vanilla flavor, sodium citrate, malic acid.

If yogurt will improve the digestive system, then this will be the choice over Pepto-Bismol—at least it has a must pleasurable taste!

Sources:

http://mw1.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yogurt

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoghurt

The Arrival of Winter

Winter has arrived
at the very perfect time.
Happy holidays!

Black Friday

The day after Thanksgiving
is the biggest shopping day
of the year.

Why do the retailers
call it Black Friday?
I am guessing that
people get a chance
to spend his/her
entire paycheck.

But what is so black
about Friday? I mean
it is not a moody one;
the clouds do not
turn black on the
Friday after Thanksgiving.
In fact, it is just the
opposite.

There are so many sales
deals that people are
willing to become a
pack of wildebeests
just to claim their
prize (or not).

Right now, I am flipping
through the sales ads
in the local newspaper.

Finally, there are certain
items that I want to
purchase; I think to myself,
should I go and buy the
items with a pack of
blood-thirsty hyenas or
should I keep my sanity?

I will wait until a blizzard
hit my town; it will give me
an excuse to max out
my credit card--without
standing in line!

America's Encounter with Cheesecake

Someone may decide to make a stop at the Cheesecake Factory or anywhere where cheesecake is sold just to grab a couple of slices of cheesecake for twenty dollars. There are so many varieties to choose from, which is a good thing.

But for the curious minds, he/she may ask how did cheesecake get its start. How did the name for this dessert come about, cheese + cake? It is obvious that it is a combination of cheese and cake; that is only part of it.

Well, the most basic ingredient in any cheesecake is cheese. Obviously. But the types of cheese that are mainly used in the formation of cheesecake are cream cheese, Neufchatel, cottage cheese and ricotta.

This is not even the start of the story. Before cheesecake became a phenomenon in the United States, it was proven to be a popular dish in ancient Greece. Not many people know that the Roman name for cheesecake was placenta, which had its similarities to the cheesecake dessert that we know today. It was placed and baked on a pastry base, or occasionally inside a pastry case.

Now that a brief history of cheesecake is known, here are the distinctive flavors of a few types of cheesecakes:

The New York cheesecake: This cheesecake will get the taste buds talking pretty loud!. It is the result of the combination of pure cream cheese, cream, eggs, and sugar. The purpose of the egg yolks are to make it become richer and smoother. This cheesecake is baked on a particular five to six inch springform pan in a number of bakeries and restaurants. In some cases, the New York cheesecake use cottage cheese and lemon for that very noticeable flavor and appearance. In addition, it may be showered with chocolate drops or a dash of strawberry sauce, or in any type of sauce or confection of personal choice. It is heavy cream heaven!

Sour Cream Style: Well, it is obvious why this got its name. It consists of sour cream rather than heavy cream. This allows this type of cheesecake to have more elasticity. As a result, frozen cheesecakes are formed.

Philadelphia Style: Unlike the New York Style cheesecake, the Philadelphia-style cheesecake is much tighter in terms of texture, but it has a bit of a rich flavor and taste.

Lactose-free cheesecake: Here is a cheesecake for those individuals whose digestive systems cannot tolerate lactose. This could be made with lactose-free cream cheese or an imitation that uses ingredients that contains non-dairy cream cheese alternatives. A variety of lactose-free ingredients can also be used.

There are some cheesecakes that are known to one particular region. One example of this type of cheesecake is the Gooey Butter cake. The Gooey Butter Cake is originated from St. Louis, MO. This is basically a regular cake with a cheesecake top.

The recipe consists of a layer of butter on the bottom as well as the yellow cake. For the top layer, it is made from eggs, cream cheese, and almond extract. And just to add some jazziness to the Gooey butter cake, there is a sprinkle of sugar that is spread upon the cake prior to being served.

Many people may think that all cheesecakes have the exact same taste, but in reality, it comprises of so many different flavors that all have its distinctive taste. Mark your calender: July 30 is National Cheesecake Day!

Sources:

http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Cakes/Cheesecake.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheesecake

http://www.food.com/library/ricotta-cheese-291

http://www.bigoven.com/glossary/Neufchatel%20cheese

For the Peanut Butter Lovers

The majority of people throughout the United States and around the globe have eaten this very common snack in one form or another. This common snack is known as peanut butter.

Not many people know that November is recognized as being the National Peanut Butter Lovers Month. This may come as a shock for consumers that are a giant fan of peanut butter that a month has been set aside to pay homage.

Some of us may like our peanut butter creamy and others may like it with a little rough surface, in other words, chunky or crunchy. It really depends on who is speaking.

But before peanut butter comes into existence, they must come in the form of peanuts. There are a few interesting facts about peanut butter that many people do now know:

-Peanuts are the usage mainly for the formation of peanut butter in the United States.

-No one would ever guess that approximately five hundred forty peanuts would create a twelve-ounce peanut butter jar.

-Peanut butter made its debut in the United States at the Universal Exposition in 1904 in St. Louis. C.H. Sumner had sold $705.11 of this peanut sensation at his concession stand.

-In the majority of American household, which is approximately eighty-nine percent, eat peanut butter.

-At the world's largest peanut butter factory, it makes at least two hundred fifty thousand jars on a daily basis.

-With the popular concept on peanut butter, many women and children like creamy over chunky, while many men go for chunky rather than creamy.

-It takes two grindings for the formation of peanut butter. The heat produced from one, long, grinding will cause the Peanut Butter flavor to be non-existent.

-Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of having peanut butter implanted to the roof of the mouth.

-The amount of peanut butter that is eaten within a year's time could wrap the planet Earth in a ribbon of peanut butter jars at least 1 1/3 times.

-Did you know that many of the American people spend approximately eight hundred billion dollars a year on peanut butter alone.

As an avid peanut butter eater, I did not realize how much control that this light-brown peanutty spread have in the typical American household. This is some pretty powerful stuff--in more ways than one. After we prepare our peanut butter sandwiches in our own special way (yes, many of us need the lovely company of jelly, whether it is grape, peach, apricot, or strawberry), we sink our teeth into our creation. All of the sudden, the peanut flavor takes over the taste buds. The temptation for a peanut butter sandwich is really increasing--at least for the buds. I should stop while I am ahead!

Next time when we decide to make and eat peanut butter, we should think about the "trials and tribulations" that these beautiful peanuts must go through. Power to the peanuts!

Source:

http://www.nationalpeanutboard.org/classroom-funfacts.php

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