Dr Hector Perera       London

The bacteria campylobacter contaminated 70 per cent of fresh shop-bought chickens stocked by major retailers. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) said the cumulative results from the first two quarters of its year-long survey of fresh chickens found 70 per cent tested positive for the presence of campylobacter, up from 59 per cent in August. According to the study, 69% of pork chops and ground pork samples tested positive for Yersinia enterocolitica, a bug known to cause infections in about 100,000 Americans a year, especially kids. Other bacteria found in pork samples included enterococcus, staph, salmonella, and listeria. The pig is a mass of worms. Each mouthful you eat is not a nutritious food but a mass of small worms the naked eye cannot detect. Worms thrive in the hog. When these worms are digested into your system, they cause a high birth rate to hundreds of new worms called larvae which travels the blood stream of your system and lodge in your muscles. These worms even enter your brain, lungs or your spinal fluid. They cause muscular aches, fever and many other symptoms of sickness. The worm has an amazing ability to go undetected in your system for many years. The scientific name for the ill-causing worm found in all pork is Trichinella spiralis which causes trichinosis.

In cooking one must have some idea about the ingredients then about the food they are going to cook. I have seen most British TV chefs cook sausages, pork, beef, lamb and chicken without knowing some most important things that might affect the health. Like any other food they need to be handled properly, cooked properly to avoid any serious health issues. For the time being just a few things are mentioned as follows such as sausages, hot dogs, pork and chicken.

Sausages

A sausage is a food usually made from ground meat, often pork, beef or veal, along with salt, spices and breadcrumbs, with a skin around it. Typically, a sausage is formed in a casing traditionally made from intestine, but sometimes synthetic. Sausages that are sold uncooked are cooked in many ways, including pan-frying, broiling and barbecuing. Some sausages are cooked during processing and the casing may then be removed.

Sausage making is a traditional food preservation technique. Sausages may be preserved by curing, drying (often in association with fermentation or culturing, which can contribute to preservation), smoking or freezing.

There is a huge range of national and regional varieties of sausages, which differ by their flavouring or spicing ingredients, the meat(s) used in them and their manner of preparation.

Traditionally, sausage casings were made of the cleaned intestines, or stomachs in the case of haggis and other traditional puddings. Today, however, natural casings are often replaced by collagen, cellulose, or even plastic casings, especially in the case of industrially manufactured sausages. Some forms of sausage, such as sliced sausage, are prepared without a casing. Additionally, luncheon meat and sausage meat are now available without casings in tin cans and jars.

Want to lose your appetite for hot dogs?

 Then visit a frankfurter factory. It’s an unpleasant business.

In vast metal vats, tons of pork trimmings are mixed with the pink slurry formed when chicken carcasses are squeezed through metal grates and blasted with water.

The mush is mixed with powdered preservatives, flavourings, red colouring and drenched in water before being squeezed into plastic tubes to be cooked and packaged.

It is a disgusting process, for the hot dog is arguably the ultimate in processed, industrial food. In response to the pink, flabby tubes of paste we serve our children, foodies have launched a movement for real frankfurters or ‘haute dogs’.

What about Pork?

Did you know that pigs carry a variety of parasites in their bodies and meat? Some of these parasites are difficult to kill even when cooking. This is the reason there are so many warnings out there about eating undercooked pork. Some times in the TV some British TV chefs, just keep on tossing a piece of pork on a cooking pan for few minutes do not cook it properly. Some people have no idea about the health issues about the undercooked pork. When cut to eat, the inside is still red that means it is undercooked. Germs, bacteria and the rest still thrive inside the food which they called ready to eat. Do you think it is right?

Pigs carry many viruses and parasites with them. Whether by coming in direct contact with them through farms or by eating their meat we put ourselves at higher risk of getting one of these painful, often debilitating diseases (not to mention put our bodies on toxic overload.)

Pigs are primary carriers of: Taenia solium tapeworm, Hepatitis E virus (HEV), PRRS (Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome) Nipah virus, Menangle virus. Each of these parasites and viruses can lead to serious health problems that can last for years to come.

Taenia solium is the pork tapeworm belonging to cyclophyllid cestodes in the family Taeniidae. One of the biggest concerns with eating pork meat is trichinellosis or trichinosis. This is an infection that humans get from eating undercooked or uncooked pork that contains the larvae of the trichinella worm.

This worm parasite is very commonly found in pork. When the worm, most often living in cysts in the stomach, opens through stomach acids, its larvae are released into the body of the pig. These new worms make their homes in the muscles of the pig. The unknowing human body who consumes this infected meat flesh.

And while no one particularly wants to consume worms, trichinellosis is a serious illness that you should do virtually anything to avoid.

Common Symptoms of Trichinellosis:

Nausea, Vomiting, Diarrhea, Headache, Fever, Chills, Cough, swollen eyes, Muscle pain, Aching joints, Coordination problems, Heart issues, Breathing problems.These symptoms of trichinellosis can really put you out of the game for quite a while. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) these symptoms can last for weeks and in more serious cases months on end.

Honestly to my surprise those kussi ammas” or kitchen servant women didn’t know any science the way they should know but they cooked very tasty food due to years of hard work. The spices and ingredients get absorbed into food to give a better taste and additionally they destroy the germs and bacteria in the food.

Chicken is a good protein source, with a 3 oz. serving providing 50 percent of the Daily Value for protein. Chicken is also a good source of niacin, vitamin B-6, phosphorus, zinc and riboflavin. It also contains some dietary cholesterol and saturated fat. However, steps can be taken to minimize the fat content of your chicken and blunt its effect on your cholesterol levels.

Chicken and Cholesterol

The American Heart Association recommends you limit your cholesterol intake to 300 mg per day. If you have high cholesterol already, limit your cholesterol intake to 200 mg per day. A 3 oz. serving of skinless roasted chicken contains between 70 mg and 80 mg of dietary cholesterol, depending on whether it is dark meat or light meat. This is about 25 percent of your recommended cholesterol for the day.

Chicken and Saturated Fat

Saturated fat affects cholesterol levels more than dietary cholesterol. The American Heart Association recommends limiting your saturated fat intake to less than 7 percent of your calories for the day. A 3 oz. serving of skinless roasted white-meat chicken contains only 1 g of saturated fat, and the same size serving of skinless roasted dark-meat chicken contains only 2 g of saturated fat.

Cooking for Lower Cholesterol

Choose chicken breasts with no skin or low-fat ground chicken. Cut off any visible fat from your chicken and cook it using methods that don’t require added fat. Baking, broiling, grilling, roasting and sauteing are healthy cooking methods but energy cannot be saved in that kinds of cooking. Drain any fat that comes off your meat while it is cooking. Finally, make meat a smaller part of your meals while increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables.

Why Are Chicken, Fish and Beans Better Than Red Meat?
In general, red meats (beef, pork and lamb) have more cholesterol and saturated (bad) fat than chicken, fish and vegetable proteins such as beans. Cholesterol and saturated fat can raise your blood cholesterol and make heart disease worse. Chicken and fish have less saturated fat than most red meat.  The unsaturated fats in fish, such as salmon, actually have health benefits. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish and some plant sources, may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Beans don’t contain cholesterol, only animal products do. There are many types of beans – pinto, kidney, garbanzo, soybeans, etc. – and they’re all good for you. Put lentils, split peas and black-eyed peas on the list, too! None of them have cholesterol unless they’re prepared with meat (such as pork and beans) or with lard. It’s OK to eat red meat as long as you limit the amount. The American Heart Association recommends that people limit lean meat, skinless chicken and fish to less than six ounces per day, total.  Fish (3.5 oz./serving) should be eaten at least twice per week, preferably fish high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, trout and herring. Use the tips below to lower the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol you get when you eat meat. One portion of meat is about the size of a deck of cards or three ounces. Choose lean cuts of meat. Lean cuts usually contain the words round,” loin” or sirloin” on the package. Trim off as much fat as you can before cooking, and pour off the melted fat after cooking. Use healthier cooking methods: bake, broil, stew and grill. Your comments are welcomed perera6@hotmail.co.uk