well it all boils down to people buying too much processed or preserved food and all because of convenience, which is fine. I bought frozen veggies but I try, as much as possible, to buy fresh fruits, veggies and foods and always always ensure they are cooked properly.
And now it turns out there's reason to think mom might have been wrong.
At least when it comes to the frozen kind.
New research out of Australia has uncovered a bacteria known as "map" that thrives in frozen temperatures - like the kind in your freezer.
"This bacteria can exist in soil up to very cold temperatures, and the concern is that if that soil is contaminated, then any food that comes in contact with that soil would also be contaminated," explains registered dietician Jennifer Sygo.
The bugs have been found in the intestines of children diagnosed with Crohn's disease, a chronic amd panful inflammation of the intestine that usually strikes young people.
Michael Goldberg has had the problem since he was a teenager.
"You double over in pain," he relates about a flare-up. "It can be absolutely excruciating.
"The attacks last -- sometimes they'll last five minutes; sometimes they'll last half an hour. By the end of it, you're just exhausted."
The disease has no cure and no one's ever been quite sure of the cause. But could map be mapping out a potential explanation? The bug can only be killed at temperatures of minus 18 or 165 above Celsius.
The trick is to make sure you store the vegetables properly and prepare them the same way.
"You want to be cooking foods very thoroughly at high temperatures to insure that you're really going to reduce your risk," Sygo suggests.
Longtime sufferers hope the discovery will help researchers better understand the disease and eventually lead them to a cure.
In the meantime, don't give up on the frozen veggies. Just make sure they're cooked properly before you serve them.
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