The news about antibiotic-resistant bacteria–Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamase (ESBL)–is killing both people and swine in Denmark.  ESBL has been implicated in the deaths of a number of cancer and liver disease patients. The number of infected patients jumped 50 percent in 2009.  Health officials said the bacteria is being transmitted to humans through pigs. The increased use of antibiotics in agriculture may be behind the spread of the resistant strain.

Antibiotics used on animals that are not raised organically make up about 70 percent of all antibiotic use in the United States, so when those animals are consumed, it is a significant source of human antibiotic consumption.

Producers of meat products for human consumption are giving their animals antibiotics in their feed.  Those animals gain 4 percent to 5 percent more body weight than animals that do not receive antibiotics.  This practice also creates the perfect conditions for antibiotic resistance to thrive.

Bacteria resistance to antibiotics is being traced back to animals raised for food production, especially pigs.

In addition to pork another heavily tainted meat product to avoid is conventionally raised chicken.

Mounting evidence suggests the poultry industry’s use of antibiotics induces antibiotic resistance among food-borne bacteria that prey on humans. One such antibiotic-resistant strain is Campylobacter, a pathogen common to chicken products.

Conventional factory farm raised chicken products are actually up to 460 times more likely to carry antibiotic-resistant strains than organic, chicken products, which are antibiotic-free.

In addition, milk has also been shown to carry antibiotics through its consumption.

Strawberry milkshakes.  Strawberry jam.  Strawberry ice cream.  Strawberry pie.  Who doesn’t love the sweet, tart, and unmistakable taste of strawberries?  Strawberries are cultivated worldwide, so the answer is probably not many people.  They are beautiful, bright red, and smell heavenly.  They are often eaten fresh, or in one of the treats listed above; in fact, their flavor is also reproduced and used in commercial food products.

An accessory fruit, derived from the plant’s receptacle instead of the ovaries, strawberries were first grown in France in the year 1740.  They were really a hybrid of two different types of strawberry, a cross between the Fragaria Virginiana of North America (famous for its flavor) and the Fragaria Chiloensis from Chile and Argentine (famous for its size).  Now, growers produce the woodland strawberry, first grown in the early seventeenth century.

Strawberries vary across color, size, flavor, ripening season, likelihood of succumbing to disease, and shape.  Often the foliage of the plants is different as well.  Growing methods vary as well, and cultivators use either the plasticulture method or the method of matted rows.  Sometimes, in the off-season, strawberries are grown in greenhouses.  Most growers use the plasticulture system to grow their strawberries.

Raised beds are formed and then covered in plastic after being fumigated.  The plants are put through holes, and then irrigation tubes are placed under the plastic.  The plastic prevents weeds from growing around the plant beds.  At harvest time, the plastic is taken away.  This system requires a long growing season, and invites high costs due to making and plastic coating the mounds.  In colder climates, it is more common for growers to use the method of matted rows.  It requires less maintenance and costs less to implement, but yields fewer fruit.

Another method of growing strawberries uses a compost sock, which gives strawberries with higher ORAC, or oxygen radical absorbance capacity, flavonoids, glucose, anthocyanins, fructose, malic acid, sucrose, and citric acid than fruit grown through other methods.  Strawberries can also be grown by seed, but it’s not a widely used method in the commercial market.  Seeds can be collected from the fruit themselves.  Many people grow them at home in pots.

Strawberries are typically harvested and cleaned in the traditional way.  Strawberries must be harvested by hand.  The fleshy fruit are quite delicate, and machine processing would simply smash them.  The packing and grading of the fruit happens in the field.  Water streams and bumping, shaking conveyor belts wash the fruit as they move through processing.  The United States produces the majority of the world strawberry market, followed by Spain and Turkey.

Many pests attack strawberries, including aphids, strawberry sap beetles, fruit flies, slugs, chafers, moths, strawberry root weevils, strawberry crown moths, strawberry thrips, and mites.  Additionally, strawberries are not immune to diseases, and succumb to gray mold, leaf spot, rhizopus rot, leaf blight, verticillium wilt, red stele, black root rot, powdery mildew, nematodes, and slime molds.  A windy area can prevent a fungus from growing.

In addition to being easy to cultivate, strawberries are also very nutritious fruit.  They are a great source of flavonoids and vitamin C, and have few calories.  Strawberries are an excellent source of fiber, potassium, and calcium.  They also have beauty benefits; it is rumored that rubbing raw strawberries over your teeth will actually whiten them!

Sadly, some people are allergic to strawberries.  The most common allergy is through oral consumption, but may also occur in the form of hives or breathing problems.  For those with the allergy, white-fruited strawberries may be the answer.  They lack the protein necessary for normal ripening, and so do not turn red.  They are almost completely allergen-free!

Hopefully, everyone, even those with allergies, enjoy strawberries when they can.  They are delicious, nutritious, and employ benefits for the body, both inside and out.

You probably already know that it’s important to drink enough water. A minimum of eight glasses of water a day is recommended. You should aim for more if it is really hot, or you are working out and sweating a lot.

According to WEBMD the early signs of dehydration are increased thirst, dry mouth, sticky saliva and reduced urine output with dark yellow urine. You may also experience a lack of energy and a headache.

None of these sound very fun. I know it is hard sometimes to drink that much water; especially when sodas and coffee tempt us. However, to stay healthy and feel great, we should strive to drink those eight glasses of water a day.

Here are a few tips to help you remember to drink the water, and to make it a little more pleasant or interesting.

1. Keep a Log

This can be as simple as a little piece of paper on the fridge, or a page in your day planner. Just make a little checkmark, or dash on the piece of paper every time you drink a glass of water. The log will help you keep track of how much water you have had in any given day. You’ll also be surprised how motivating it is to try to get those eight little checkmarks on there every day. Another idea would be to use little stickers instead.

2. Add Some Lemon Juice

I tend to get bored with drinking just water after a few days. Change things up and add a little flavor by adding a teaspoon or less of lemon to your water. You can also try some other fruit juices. Just make sure you are still drinking mainly water. Just a splash of juice should be enough to make things interesting and give the water some flavor without adding a lot of sugar and calories.

3. Try Some Club Soda

If you are craving the fizz of a soda, try some Club Soda. Most brands have a little too much fizz for me. I end up watering them down with – guess what – water. If you want to get really fancy, check your local grocery store for flavored club sodas. Alternatively, you can also add a splash of fruit juice to your watered down club soda.

4. Drink Some Water When You Feel Hungry

Unfortunately many of us have gotten so out of tune with our bodies that we feel hungry when we are actually thirsty. If you feel hungry, try drinking a glass of water first. You may just be thirsty.

5. Carry A Water Bottle

It’s much easier to drink water when you have it readily available. Carry a bottle of water around with you in the car, at work, while running errands, in the yard, and even while you are working around the house. You’ll be sipping away the water without even noticing it.

6. Drink More If You Are Working Out

We already touched on this, but it bears repeating. Make sure you drink a few extra glasses of water if you work out, or if you spend some time outside while it’s hot. Your body uses and needs more water when it sweats a lot. So don’t forget to fill back up on water during and after your exercise.

Just pay attention to how much you drink and implement some of these ideas if you don’t get the recommended eight glasses of water a day. Your body will thank you for it in the long run