February 25, 2019

Hello beautiful,

It's Katie bringing you another week of tips, hints, styles, and trends to help you look and feel your best!

One thing is certain, one way to not feel your best is eating something that isn't going to agree with your body's digestive system. Everyone is different so some foods will react differently to one person than it would another. However, even though you might have a stronger digestive system that doesn't mean that you should subject yourself to certain foods such as raw foods.

Until we meet again,
Katie

Questions? Comments? Email me at:katie@gophercentral.com

*-- Don't Eat This Stuff Raw --*

Sushi is one of my favorites! It's made with lean fish, vegetables, and avocado, and it's a good way to get vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids. However, sushi can have bacteria and parasites like anisakiasis, which can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pain. Sushi really isn't meant for everyone. Small children, women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and people with immune issues should skip raw or undercooked fish. Everyone should also avoid fish that could be high in mercury, like swordfish, bigeye tuna, and shark.

Although my stomach is tough enough to enjoy sushi with me, one thing my stomach never allows me to eat is raw oysters. It sounds like a delicacy but they can carry viruses and bacteria from the water where they live. If they aren't well-cooked, they can infect the people who eat them.

It's so tempting when baking cookies not to try a bit of the dough. Sadly, anything with uncooked flour can make you sick. Don't taste raw dough or batter, and don't add flour to foods that won't be cooked. Kids shouldn't play with flour or dough, either. When you are done handling it, make sure you wash your hands.

I was so surprised when I learned this because never in my young life have I heard never to eat raw kidney beans. They're clearly not something that I would just pick up and eat, but they're definitely not a food on my list that could make me sick if eaten raw. Eating as few as four or five raw kidney beans can make you very sick. The beans, especially red ones, have a protein called bean lectin or PHA. It's usually destroyed during cooking. Soak your raw kidney beans for at least 5 hours, drain them, then boil them for at least 30 minutes.

Hint: Don't use a slow cooker. It won't get the beans hot enough to kill the toxin and no worries, canned beans are safe. They've already been cooked!
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