A simple solution for sprouting hysteria

I like sprouts and they are, especially broccoli sprouts, very nutritious. The flavor has a slight hint of dirt to it, but I like them anyway. (The way I see it, if you can eat cheese that smells like yesterday's city effluent, you can eat sprouts.)

But now the CDC wants you to cook them first - yuk! Basically, the CDC thinks that everything you eat or drink should be pasteurized, including your water. I suspect these scientists have spent a lot more time in the laboratory than they have in the kitchen.  

Last year, a salmonella outbreak sickened 32 people in four western states. The outbreak, which caused diarrhea and urinary tract infections, was traced back to a batch of raw alfalfa sprouts. Although it was reported as an "outbreak," 32 people out of 50 million doesn't exactly qualify as an epidemic - or an outbreak.

There's no doubt that sprouts, like everything else you eat, can be contaminated by man or beast (usually man) and give you a good case of the trots.

However, this minor incident prompted the FDA to overreact - I mean, recommend that you don't eat sprouts unless you boil them, or "chemicalize" them with calcium hypochlorite. But they want you to know you're fighting a losing battle: "Decontaminating seed sprouts is a difficult - perhaps impossible - chore as bacteria can hide away in tiny cracks and survive processing."

But you don't have to give up eating sprouts, or resort to the extreme measures the FDA recommends. Just soak your sprouts in a bowl filled with three percent hydrogen peroxide for 20 minutes, drain off the hydrogen peroxide, rinse them in (uncontaminated) water, toss in a few (uncontaminated) ice cubes, and put them in the fridge. After 30 minutes, they'll be nice and perky - and uncontaminated. 
    
Health debate has licorice on the ropes

Not all medicine is hard to swallow: Licorice has been used for centuries for its medicinal properties. It has been shown to be an effective treatment of eczema, psoriasis, herpes, coughs, asthma, and chronic fatigue syndrome. Studies even suggest that it may help prevent or fight cancer.

Other studies, however, indicate that licorice, in large doses, may cause a rise in blood pressure. This is due to a substance called glycyrrhizin that licorice contains. To reduce the risk of licorice-induced hypertension, clever food chemists have discovered a method to take the glycyrrhizin out of the licorice. This product is called deglycyrrhizinated licorice. Since no one can pronounce it (see why it's hard to get through medical school?), it's called DGL.

While it is true that glycyrrhizin may cause fluid retention, blood pres-sure elevation, and potassium loss, these risks do not, in my opinion, outweigh the benefits. Unfortunately, when you remove the glycyrrhizin from licorice, it loses the healing potential for the conditions listed above. The DGL type is beneficial -but only for some digestive problems and for canker sores in the mouth.  

Unless you have kidney disease or seriously elevated blood pressure, use the unadulterated variety of licorice. Most licorice you find in grocery stores is made with anise or with artificial flavoring. This sort doesn't have any medicinal power. To find the real deal, you'll have to go to your local health food store. Even there, be sure to read the label. Real licorice will say "licorice mass." The black rope variety is the tastiest.