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What you should really stock up on for Coronavirus prep

What you should really stock up on for Coronavirus prep

With the coronavirus pandemic in full swing and “nonessential” businesses coast to coast closing their doors, Americans are facing the reality of two weeks stuck at home. While toilet paper and hand sanitizer have been flying off shelves, there are other things that make more sense in preparation for 14 days holed up at home. Supply chains are said to still be well in-tact, according to The New York Times, so there is no need for outright stockpiling food. In fact, shoppers rushing out and buying everything is sight is causing an inconvenient temporary and unnecessary shortage for other shoppers. Instead, stay calm and stock up on what you really need. Buying the right food, medicine, and cleaning supplies now can help you cut down on overall trips to the store, and less time in large public centers. But don’t just buy up anything and everything you see. You’ll put…

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What people are stockpiling during the coronavirus panic

What people are stockpiling during the coronavirus panic

There’s no denying that fears of a widerspread coronavirus outbreak are sweeping the nation. Despite what health experts are recommending at this time, U.S. citizens are stockpiling extra dry goods in the event they find themselves stuck at home for some amount of time. Face mask, hand sanitizer, and cases of bottled water have been flying off grocery store shelves for weeks, but what are the other most sought after items? According to Nielsen data, shelf-stable and longer-lasting foods have seen a spike in sales since late February, while fresh produce sales are noticeably lower. CNBC compared how this years product sales are comparing to last year’s sales of the sale time period. At U.S. stores, fruit snacks sales were up by nearly 13%. Dried beans were up 10%, and pretzels were up 9%. Other items like energy drinks, pet medicine, vitamin supplements, and first-aid kits also so an sales spike. Here’s…

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More people get sick from this food than any other, according to the CDC

More people get sick from this food than any other, according to the CDC

Summer is right around the corner and chances are you’re dying to bite into your first big piece of juicy grilled chicken. Chicken is by far the most popular source of protein in the U.S. The USDA reports that Americans consume 92 pounds of chicken per person per year. But all of that poultry comes with a dirty little secret — chicken is far more likely to make you sick than any other food. The CDC estimates that every year about a million people get sick from eating contaminated poultry. Salmonella and campylobacter are the two most common causes of foodborne illness — both commonly spread through animal feces. Salmonella can come from a variety of foods including eggs, meat, dairy, or produce, but campylobacter is pretty strictly tied to chicken. The USDA reported that from April 2018 through March 2019, 22% of production plants did not meet standards set for limiting…

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Tips for adjusting to Daylight Savings Time

Tips for adjusting to Daylight Savings Time

Whether you love or hate Daylight Savings Time, you’re probably at least looking forward to getting an extra hour of sleep on Sunday. The National Sleep Foundation reports that about 20 percent of Americans get less than six hours of sleep. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has linked lack of sleep with other issues like vehicle crashes and on-the-job injuries. While, gaining an hour of sleep in thae fall is typically easier for people than the loss-of-sleep in the spring, it can still mess with your body’s rhythm and cause you to miss your body’s natural shut-eye cues. Adjusting to time changes is different for everyone, but there are a few tips you can take to help ease into the new schedule. Start preparing today. Sometimes, make the hour move in one day is too much, especially for families with kids. Begin pushing your daily routine a little…

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Americans urged to get flu shots after last year’s 80,000 death toll reported

Americans urged to get flu shots after last year's 80,000 death toll reported

Eighty thousand people died from the flu last year — that’s more than the number of people killed in car accidents, gun violence, or opioid overdoses. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging people to get flu shots early this year, especially those who are vulnerable or those with weakened immune systems including pregnant women, children, and older adults. The new data comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which said last year was the deadliest flu season in more than four decades. Flu experts knew it was going to be a bad season, but the tally was nearly twice the estimate health officials originally projected. The high mortality rate last winter was driven by a type of flu that tends to land more people in the hospital and cause more deaths. Making the situation worse, the flu vaccine didn’t work very well. Despite the limitations of…

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Major retailers recalling 207 million eggs after salmonella outbreak

Walmart, Food Lion recalling eggs after salmonella outbreak

More than 200 million eggs are being recalled after the Food and Drug Administration said they could be contaminated with salmonella. The agency said there have been 35 reported cases of illness, including 11 hospitalizations. No deaths have been reported. The FDA said that the outbreak could be traced to a single facility in Hyde County, North Carolina belonging to Rose Acre Farms in Seymour, Indiana. The farm is now recalling nearly 207,000,000 eggs that were sold at a variety of retailers and restaurants including Walmart, Publix, Food Lion and Waffle House. The recalled eggs were distributed in Colorado, Florida, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. These are the affected egg brands: Coburn Farms Country Daybreak Crystal Farms Food Lion Glenview Great Value Nelms Sunshine Farms Waffle House For a full list of products, visit the FDA’s website here.  Salmonella is a bacteria infection that can cause…

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People are drinking hydrogen peroxide for health reasons, and professionals warn against it

People are drinking hydrogen peroxide for health reasons, and professionals warn against it

It seems ingesting toxic Tide Pods wasn’t enough for some. People are taking to social media with their claim that hydrogen peroxide is good for you, insisting that since it “only comes from water and oxygen” it must “boost oxygen levels in the body.” https://youtu.be/vXWXhp6aFuw Hydrogen peroxide is most commonly used to help prevent infection of minor cuts or scrapes, but strangely, it’s being used by some to treat everything from headaches to cancer — something doctors would strongly urge you NOT to do. Poison Control is clear that there is no scientific evidence to back this up. Though a tiny amount of Hydrogen Peroxide — like that in say, toothpaste — is not harmful, consuming the stuff can cause serious internal damage, confusion, strokes, heart attacks and clots in your lungs. Drinking hydrogen peroxide as a “natural cure or remedy” can be life-threatening, according to health experts. https://t.co/nNug5UTwDx pic.twitter.com/AJcUqwFunO — WebMD (@WebMD) February 11, 2017…

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Stay away from Romaine Lettuce, report warns

Stay away from Romaine Lettuce, report warns

Skip out that Caesar salad for a while. An E. coli outbreak that hit the United States late last week has been traced to romaine lettuce grown in certain regions of the country. The outbreak has affected 11 states so far, with a total of 35 cases reported, resulting in twenty-two hospitalizations. Luckily, no deaths have been reported. On April 13, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a statement advising consumers to find out the origin of their romaine before buying or eating. The lettuce causing concern was linked to Yuma, Arizona. The CDC reports that only lettuce from this region needs to be avoided or thrown away. However, just to be safe, Consumer Reports advises considers to avoid buying romaine altogether — at least until the outbreak is over. “Consumer Reports’ experts believe that it could be difficult for consumers to determine where the romaine they purchase is…

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Here’s how long you’re contagious with the flu virus

Here's how long you're contagious with the flu virus

If you’ve spent the last couple days cooped up inside your house fighting the flu and dozing off to Netflix, you may be wondering when you can return to civilization. You’re eager to do something constructive, yet you wouldn’t want to put your family or co-workers at risk for infection. So just how long are you contagious? Most people go back to work when their worst symptoms start to retreat, but that’s probably a little too early.  The CDC says you can be contagious the day before you start feeling sick and up to seven days after. Children, elderly and those with weak immune systems can be contagious even longer. Those unpleasant symptoms are actually the result of your immune system fighting the flu virus. For starters, your body increasing in temperature, resulting in a fever because the flu virus doesn’t spread as well at higher temperatures. And that mucus has…

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Seasonal

How to safely roast a turkey this Thanksgiving

How to safely roast a turkey this ThanksgivingPixabay

Thanksgiving hosts have a lot to worry about when preparing the year’s most anticipated feast; lumpy gravy, broken wine corks, unexpected dinner guests. But while there are plenty of things that can go wrong, there is only one thing that can truly turn the holiday merriment into misery. Food poisoning. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), each year, about 48 million people will get sick from a foodborne illness. While summer’s picnics and camps are prime time for foodborne illness, these diseases also spike sharply during the holiday season. Marianne H. Gravely, Senior Technical Information Specialist of the Food Safety Education Staff at the USDA, gives us some tips on making sure you prepare a Thanksgiving feast that’s memorable — for all the right reasons. Storing a turkey before Thanksgiving Start by cleaning out your refrigerator. Whether you’re making all of the dishes yourself, or guests are bringing some to your house, all this food needs a place to…

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