BUY PACKAGED NUTS (A follow-up to previous posts)

According to the Women's Health Letter, buying nuts and seeds from bulk bins in health food stores could make you sick. Nuts sometimes get a common mold that has a by-product known as aflatoxins.  Aflatoxins are among the most potent carcinogens known to man.  It is believed aflatoxins are responsible for the majority of liver cancer cases in the world. Aflatoxins are not detectable as they are completely colorless, tasteless, and odorless.  To protect yourself and your family buy only prepackaged nuts.  Australia and the United States have the highest standards of inspection, storage and packaging so buying nuts from those countries is your best choice.

Note: Picture for reference only. Not a brand recommendation for or against.

HOW TO BUY PEANUT BUTTER

Did you know it is safer to buy jar peanut butter preserved with sorbic acid than to buy fresh peanut butter? I was surprised to discover this but, in my research I discovered that while nuts and seeds are great health foods, they should not be purchased from the bulk bins in many of the "health food" stores even if they are labeled organic!  Fresh peanuts from bulk bins may actually contain cancer-causing substances called aflatoxins.  Aflatoxins are the by-product of a common mold that grows on grains, nuts, and seeds.

DIRTY DISHWASHER

Are you aware your dishwasher may be harboring mold, yeast, etc?  Many times, we don't realize that the cleaning appliance itself needs to be cleaned!  You should take a disinfectant wipe and go around the seal on the door of your dishwasher a couple of times a week as that area may be home to mold and other fungi that don't get killed by the dish detergent and high temperatures.  These menaces can cause wheezing and other problems if allowed to build up.

FILE PHOTO