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CNN Sunday Morning

Weekend House Call

Aired February 15, 2004 - 08:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


HOLLY FIRFER, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good Sunday morning to you and welcome to WEEKEND HOUSE CALL I'm Holly Firfer.
Now, there's mad cow and mercury in fish, it's the bird flu these days. Just this week, officials say a strain of bird flu has been found in chickens in three northeastern states. Now, with all of this news about food you may be wondering what is safe to eat these days.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FIRFER (voice-over): Images of staggering mad cows, and now flu infected chickens are chilling to farmers, but food safety experts say these infected animals are not infecting the nation's food supply.

DR. MICHAEL HANSEN, FOOD SAFETY EXPERT: The biggest concerns with the bird flu are actually economic and animal health, humans don't get infected about I that so there really wouldn't be that much of a health concern at all.

FIRFER: Bird flu was found this week at two farms in Delaware and four live chicken markets in New Jersey. The strain these birds have cannot be transmitted to humans, even if an infected chicken made it to your dinner plate. Mad cow, on the other hand can be passed to humans and is lethal if the brain or spinal cord of an infected cow makes it to your burger.

The Agriculture Department, just this week, ended its investigation into the first U.S. cases of mad cow, saying there's little risk of other American cows having the disease.

In the U.S., concern over food safety seems to come in waves, whether it's PCBs in salmon, mercury in fish, arsenic in chicken or the latest mad cow and bird flu news.

HANSEN: This all leads to people being far more concerned about what they eat. All of these food safety stories or concerns should heighten awareness of people, about where their food comes from and the quality of the food.

FIRFER: If you're still worried about your chicken, here are some tips: Make sure your meat was raised on an organic farm. Food safety expert Michael Hansen says there's much less of a chance of it being infected. And if you're cooking chicken or eggs keep the temperature at 70 degrees Celsius or higher, that's 158 degree Fahrenheit. Health officials say that's the temperature that will kill the bird flu virus. (END VIDEOTAPE)

FIRFER: Now, 76 million Americans get some sort of food borne illness every year and more than 300,000 people are hospitalized. Now, these incidents are not from bird flu or mad cow just your average bacteria causing havoc the human body. Now, if you're wondering how to keep yourself from becoming one of the numbers or just confused about what's safe to eat these days, give us a call at 1-800-807-2620, or you can e-mail us at house housecall@cnn.com.

Christine Bruhn now joins us, this morning, to help clear things up, PhD and director of the Center for Consumer Research at the University of California Davis.

Good morning.

CHRISTINE BRUHN, CTR. CONSUMER RESEARCH: Good morning.

FIRFER: Thanks so much for getting up very early out there in California. We appreciate it.

BRUHN: You bet. Good morning, Holly.

FIRFER: Good morning. We've covered this in the piece, but I want to be sure everybody's clear that the bird flu we've been hearing, about in Asia, can spread to people but the bird flu in the United States is different. Now, just to be sure, people cannot get sick from this bird flu virus in the United States, correct?

BRUHN: Yes, that's correct. You know how they got sick in Asia is actually it's a food poisoning thing, the children are playing on the floor, they didn't wash their hands, and that's how the virus got to the people. So, follow good sanitation and don't worry about the meat in that regard, the flu is not going to transfer via the meat.

FIRFER: Good to know. OK, we're being barraged with e-mails and calls, so let's get to some right now. A pretty common question here, from Chris in California, they want to know: "What is the real deal with mad cow in the U.S.? Is there any real reason to avoid beef?"

BRUHN: No, I think you can consume beef with comfort. The infectious material is in the brain and the spinal column and the tonsils. It's not in the muscle tissue that we are eating. So, there's a number of safeguards in effect. I consume meat with complete confidence, and so do all my friends, the muscle tissue is just fine. If you're eating variety meats, you might be cautious about brain. For some groups, they do enjoy brain tacos and other brain dishes that brains of animals, in the supermarket in the United States, must come from young animals and that's also a protective measure.

FIRFER: OK, Liberty in Maryland, kind of runs the gamut here, and writes: "What's safe to eat? With the mad cow scare recently and now the bird flu, in addition to the local report in our city that swordfish and other kinds of fish have very high levels of mercury I don't really know the answer. In the past it was reported that fruit and vegetable growers use too much pesticide that's harmful to consumers. Maybe pork? I hope pigs don't get sick."

Bottom line is -- what? Are we going all just start eating potato chips? I hope not.

BRUHN: Oh, I understand your frustration. There seems to be a headline in the news all the time about something, but keep in mind, Americans are living longer every year, and actually, our food supply and our sanitation is helped making that possible.

Follow the food guide pyramid. The infectious material, as I said in the mad cow disease, that's in the brain if you're not eating the brain, or spinal column, you're just fine. For the chickens, wash your hands well -- with all meat wash your hands.

For fruits and vegetables it's important to wash them especially if you're eating them raw, and the best way to wash them is with running water and if you can -- you know, wipe the tissue a little bit, wipe the lettuce, whip the tomatoes and apples with your hands under the running water. And really, you can just follow the food guide pyramid and eat a balanced diet and wash your hands and cook things thoroughly, that's the greatest way for safety.

FIRFER: OK, Beth from Pennsylvania sort of touches on what you mentioned in the last question was: "Are imported vegetables and fruit safe? Now, I wonder if pesticides are safe as the U.S. standards."

And, you talked about how to clean them, but what about bringing foods -- fruits and vegetables in from elsewhere. Are they as safe as in the U.S.?

BRUHN: You know, hey have to follow the same guidelines that we do in the United States and they are tested when they come into the United States. You can't catch everything, you test a sampling, if you tested everything there'd be nothing left to come in. If they found someone who has violated with the pesticides, they test the company more thoroughly and all of their products that violated, they never make it to the market, they're rejected from the marketplace. But, washing also removes any pesticide residue. So, use that running water and wash -- and you should be in great shape.

FIRFER: OK, Fran in Ohio wants to know: "Does heating lunchmeat in the microwave and letting it cool prior to packing a lunch kill listeria bacteria?"

First of all, too Chris, if you could tell us: listeria, where would you find listeria and what is it?

BRUHN: Ah yes, that's a good question, by the way, too. And heating does destroy listeria. Listeria's a very common bacteria, but there's one type called listeria monocytogenes that can be has hazardous to people, especially women who are pregnant, it can cause them to lose their child -- cause them to lose their baby, and people whose immunity is suppressed can also fall prey to this bacteria. It can be on luncheon meats, hotdogs, and so forth, items that have been in the refrigerator for awhile and have a long shelf life, that bacteria can grow very slowly. So, you do want to destroy it especially if you're among the susceptible people, and heating will do the trick. Drop a hotdog into boiling water for a minute or two, you should be all right. Have a grilled sandwich instead of a cold sandwich, that should be fine, too.

FIRFER: And Chris, you mentioned really quickly, susceptible people. Tell us really quickly who is most susceptible to bacterian (sic) illness.

BRUHN: Children, especially children under ten, they have -- account for about a third of food borne illness. People who are older, but older is relatively as young, as young as maybe 50 or so, you start increasing your susceptibility to food borne illness, people who are diabetics, and people whose immunity is suppressed for some reason.

FIRFER: OK, great. A lot of e mails and questions. We appreciate you calling us and writing us in. We have to take a break. But, is your bottled water safe to drink? Will your diet soda give you cancer? We'll tackle all of your questions from artificial sweeteners to bottled water, after the break, so don't go anywhere unless it's to your phone to give us a call at 1-800-807-2620 or to your computer where you can e-mail us at housecall@cnn.com.

But, before you run off to take our "Daily Dose Health Quiz," here first. Does washing poultry and meat help remove bacteria?

Stay with us for the answer to that. Back in two.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FIRFER: Before the break we asked: "Does washing poultry and meat help remove bacteria? The answer is, unfortunately, no.

In fact, the FDA says it could cross contaminate by spreading germs from you meat to other parts of the kitchen.

And cross contamination is one of the biggest dangers while you're cooking from not washing your hands to using a common cutting board, you could you be making yourself sick. Food safety experts have some quick tips for keeping you from contaminating your food. First, wash your hands. Cutting boards, wash those, and countertops before you even begin cooking. Use two cutting boards if you can, one for raw meat and one for cooked meat and vegetables. Also, keep the meat and seafood separated in plastic bags or containers as soon you buy them, this helps the juices from dripping and mixing on anything else.

Now, we're talking about what's safe to eat with Christine Bruhn, she's the director of the Center for Consumer Research at U.C. Davis.

And Chris, what do you think is the biggest mistake people make when it comes to food safety?

BRUHN: I think people mistakenly think that washing means wiping with a damp cloth, and washing actually means using soap and water. Bubbly -- get those bubbles going and washing your hands for some time -- 20 seconds is what's recommended. I must admit, that's hard to do, 10 seconds at least helps. But, use soap and water when you're washing. And, I think that probably the second biggest mistake is not thoroughly cooking your food. I know we think it's thoroughly cooked, it looks thoroughly cooked, but we're using visual indicators instead of using a thermometer, and what we have to do, and move to do now is use a thermometer, even for something as simple as meatloaf, for chicken, for casseroles, and be sure that the correct temperature has been reached.

They found with the ground meat, for example, people were cooking them until they were brown, thinking that would be safe to destroy any harmful bacteria that could be present, but one out of four hamburgers became brown before it actually was reaching the high enough temperature to destroy the bacteria, so we need to stick that thermometer in and for something like ground beef it's, 160 that you're looking for, and even for casseroles, 160 is a good thing.

FIRFER: Good advice. OK, let's get back to some e-mails, now. We've got a lot of them.

Doug in Florida wants to know: "Is all bottled water safe to drink? Can you drink from a bottle of water that you drank from a few days ago?"

And Chris, I have to admit it every once in a while I'm guilty as well of refilling that bottle because you're too lazy to go get another one. Is that not a good thing?

BRUHN: Well, I would think bottled water is generally safe to eat. Periodically, groups do studies of microbial level and minerals and so forth, and it's shown to be pretty good. No, as far as redrinking from that same bottle, hmmm, it depends on how you're drinking. If you hold that bottle up so you don't -- you know, regurgitate any of the moisture, you're probably going to be all right, but I would recommend that you get a fresh bottle, finish the thing up. The issue is if you get some of your saliva in there, there could be food there, there could be bacteria and now you let that bottled water sit at room temperature for a couple, three days, that's an ideal environment for growing bacteria.

FIRFER: I promise never to do it again, Chris.

OK, Lori in West Virginia writes this morning and she says, "I drink about three bottles of diet soda a day. A hear conflicting information on aspartame. Everything from: it's safe to it causes everything from weight gain and brain cancer. Is aspartame safe?"

Good question.

BRUHN: Yes, many of us enjoy diet soda as a way of having a different beverage and controlling calories a little bit. And actually, that is a fine and safe thing to do. There are a few people, a minority, who have -- who are missing an enzyme and can't digest some of the components that are in aspartame and that's why there's a warning on some of the packages. But for most people, consuming this is just fine, and it's a good way to save calories. There have been studies done both laboratory controlled studies and actual free living people indicating that if individuals consume diet soda they are actually cutting their calories down. So, it's a good way to maintain weight, but a critical thing to remember is don't let that diet soda replace other things your body needs. You need water -- drink water. You need to have fruits and vegetables, so be sure you have -- you know, a glass of juice or something like that, and then very important, be sure you're getting enough calcium. Our most common source of calcium is milk. Adults should have two to three servings, kids have three or more servings. We don't lose our need for this nutrient when we are adults, so be sure that you're getting the rest of your diet -- is balanced.

FIRFER: OK great. Now, if you're a fan of sushi or you're just a fish lover you're going to want to hear our next question, but that's after the break.

We're going to find out how safe it is to be eating the fish on your plate, but first, take a look at one way, besides eating fish, that you can keep feeling fit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. GARY SMALL, UCLA: The biggest complaint people have about memory is names and faces.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Embarrassing memory lapses can be worked out, says Dr. Gary Small. His book, "The Memory Bible" is centerpieces of a new class at UCLA called Memory Training.

SMALL: The idea is, use it or lose it. Work out your brain cells so they can stay active and healthy.

GUPTA: Student's need only remember three words: look, snap, connect.

Look at a situation, take a mental snapshot observing the details and then connect those details to something in your life.

Of course, there are other common sense things you can do to flex your memory muscle according to Dr. Small, reducing stress, eating a healthy brain diet, and exercising your body and your brain. For feeling fit, I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FIRFER: Welcome back to WEEKEND HOUSE CALL we're talking about what's safe to eat these days with Christine Bruhn, a food safety expert.

And Christine, our first e-mail we have is from Mike in Washington, and he writes: "I'm a big fan of sushi and go out to eat it at a local sushi bar about two to three times per week. What are my chances of getting food poisoning and are they much greater than at a normal restaurant? I enjoy it and eat it for its health benefits"

And Chris, I'm a big sushi fan, too. Do we have to worry?

BRUHN: I love sushi, as well. And, Mike, the best is cooked fish. Can you find some cooked items at the sushi bar. Whether you're at risk for food borne illness depends on your health aspects. You know, how old you are, what's your condition of your health. Moderation is always the best thing? You shouldn't get sick at any restaurants. So, enjoy the sushi and how about having the California rule, they're great and that's good cooked crab.

FIRFER: OK, Dean in Florida is on the phone with us.

Good morning, Dean. What's your question for Chris Bruhn?

DEAN, FLORIDA: Yes, good morning, folks. My question is regarding fish. Firs, is fish even inspected and second, with the stories regarding mercury content with pregnant women what are the chances of any kind of harm to children, especially from the early ages of, say maybe from newborn to 6 years old when the brain is being formed, will mercury harm the children?

FIRFER: Great question -- Chris.

BRUHN: Yes, very good question. Indeed, the FDA's guidelines, regarding large fish that can store mercury, and the whole key for everything is moderation. Moderation in variety in your diet in total is going to be safe for you. Pregnant women are advised not to have too much fish, but certainly a serving a week or even less frequently is all right. Fish has got important nutrients that are good for the body overall and as long as you have variety and don't overdo you'll be just fine.

FIRFER: OK, Mary's also on the phone.

Mary in Georgia, good morning. What is your question on food safety?

MARY, GEORGIA: Yes, I eat out a lot because of my job. What precautions should I take when I eat out?

BRUHN: Excellent question, Mary. Many of us are facing restaurants, quite frequently, because of our full schedule. You want to make sure that restaurant is clean and following good sanitation practices. It's tough to look in the kitchen. What I do is look in the bathroom. Make sure that bathroom is clean, make sure it's got toilet paper, make sure it's got hand soap, and towels. If you can't wash your hands the people in the back probably can't wash theirs either. So, check the cleanliness of your restaurant and that should be one of your first guides.

FIRFER: Great, great tip. Love that tip.

OK, when WEEKEND HOUSE CALL returns, we're going to point you to more information that should keep any food anxieties under wraps.

But first, a look at some of this week's medical headlines in today's edition of "For Your Health."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Researchers in South Korea say they have successfully cloned a human embryo and removed stem cells from it. The scientists were quick to add, however, that their technique was not designed to make babies, but make advances in disease research.

Also this week, a new study found post menopausal women may be at greater risk for dying from heart disease if they're depressed. The study followed nearly 100,000 older women and found that those who had a history of depression were significantly more likely to die of cardiovascular disease.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FIRFER: If we've overwhelmed you with information or you have more questions, you can go to the FDA Web site at www.fda.org, there you'll find tips to keep your food safe, plus the latest in food recalls safety alerts.

Well, we're out of time, Christine Bruhn, thank you so much for waking up early with us on Sunday morning, I know it's oh-dark-hundred out on the West coast, there -- to help answer our questions.

Quickly before we go, one last final take home message for everybody.

BRUHN: Make sure your food is safe by washing your hands and cooking things properly and enjoying a good balanced diet.

FIRFER: OK, thank you do much, we appreciate your time this morning.

And, thank all of you for your phone calls and your e-mails. Tune in next Saturday morning for more WEEKEND HOUSE CALL, that's at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time. Thanks so much for spending some time with us.

I'm Holly Firfer. CNN's "Sunday Morning" continues right now.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired February 15, 2004 - 08:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HOLLY FIRFER, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good Sunday morning to you and welcome to WEEKEND HOUSE CALL I'm Holly Firfer.
Now, there's mad cow and mercury in fish, it's the bird flu these days. Just this week, officials say a strain of bird flu has been found in chickens in three northeastern states. Now, with all of this news about food you may be wondering what is safe to eat these days.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FIRFER (voice-over): Images of staggering mad cows, and now flu infected chickens are chilling to farmers, but food safety experts say these infected animals are not infecting the nation's food supply.

DR. MICHAEL HANSEN, FOOD SAFETY EXPERT: The biggest concerns with the bird flu are actually economic and animal health, humans don't get infected about I that so there really wouldn't be that much of a health concern at all.

FIRFER: Bird flu was found this week at two farms in Delaware and four live chicken markets in New Jersey. The strain these birds have cannot be transmitted to humans, even if an infected chicken made it to your dinner plate. Mad cow, on the other hand can be passed to humans and is lethal if the brain or spinal cord of an infected cow makes it to your burger.

The Agriculture Department, just this week, ended its investigation into the first U.S. cases of mad cow, saying there's little risk of other American cows having the disease.

In the U.S., concern over food safety seems to come in waves, whether it's PCBs in salmon, mercury in fish, arsenic in chicken or the latest mad cow and bird flu news.

HANSEN: This all leads to people being far more concerned about what they eat. All of these food safety stories or concerns should heighten awareness of people, about where their food comes from and the quality of the food.

FIRFER: If you're still worried about your chicken, here are some tips: Make sure your meat was raised on an organic farm. Food safety expert Michael Hansen says there's much less of a chance of it being infected. And if you're cooking chicken or eggs keep the temperature at 70 degrees Celsius or higher, that's 158 degree Fahrenheit. Health officials say that's the temperature that will kill the bird flu virus. (END VIDEOTAPE)

FIRFER: Now, 76 million Americans get some sort of food borne illness every year and more than 300,000 people are hospitalized. Now, these incidents are not from bird flu or mad cow just your average bacteria causing havoc the human body. Now, if you're wondering how to keep yourself from becoming one of the numbers or just confused about what's safe to eat these days, give us a call at 1-800-807-2620, or you can e-mail us at house housecall@cnn.com.

Christine Bruhn now joins us, this morning, to help clear things up, PhD and director of the Center for Consumer Research at the University of California Davis.

Good morning.

CHRISTINE BRUHN, CTR. CONSUMER RESEARCH: Good morning.

FIRFER: Thanks so much for getting up very early out there in California. We appreciate it.

BRUHN: You bet. Good morning, Holly.

FIRFER: Good morning. We've covered this in the piece, but I want to be sure everybody's clear that the bird flu we've been hearing, about in Asia, can spread to people but the bird flu in the United States is different. Now, just to be sure, people cannot get sick from this bird flu virus in the United States, correct?

BRUHN: Yes, that's correct. You know how they got sick in Asia is actually it's a food poisoning thing, the children are playing on the floor, they didn't wash their hands, and that's how the virus got to the people. So, follow good sanitation and don't worry about the meat in that regard, the flu is not going to transfer via the meat.

FIRFER: Good to know. OK, we're being barraged with e-mails and calls, so let's get to some right now. A pretty common question here, from Chris in California, they want to know: "What is the real deal with mad cow in the U.S.? Is there any real reason to avoid beef?"

BRUHN: No, I think you can consume beef with comfort. The infectious material is in the brain and the spinal column and the tonsils. It's not in the muscle tissue that we are eating. So, there's a number of safeguards in effect. I consume meat with complete confidence, and so do all my friends, the muscle tissue is just fine. If you're eating variety meats, you might be cautious about brain. For some groups, they do enjoy brain tacos and other brain dishes that brains of animals, in the supermarket in the United States, must come from young animals and that's also a protective measure.

FIRFER: OK, Liberty in Maryland, kind of runs the gamut here, and writes: "What's safe to eat? With the mad cow scare recently and now the bird flu, in addition to the local report in our city that swordfish and other kinds of fish have very high levels of mercury I don't really know the answer. In the past it was reported that fruit and vegetable growers use too much pesticide that's harmful to consumers. Maybe pork? I hope pigs don't get sick."

Bottom line is -- what? Are we going all just start eating potato chips? I hope not.

BRUHN: Oh, I understand your frustration. There seems to be a headline in the news all the time about something, but keep in mind, Americans are living longer every year, and actually, our food supply and our sanitation is helped making that possible.

Follow the food guide pyramid. The infectious material, as I said in the mad cow disease, that's in the brain if you're not eating the brain, or spinal column, you're just fine. For the chickens, wash your hands well -- with all meat wash your hands.

For fruits and vegetables it's important to wash them especially if you're eating them raw, and the best way to wash them is with running water and if you can -- you know, wipe the tissue a little bit, wipe the lettuce, whip the tomatoes and apples with your hands under the running water. And really, you can just follow the food guide pyramid and eat a balanced diet and wash your hands and cook things thoroughly, that's the greatest way for safety.

FIRFER: OK, Beth from Pennsylvania sort of touches on what you mentioned in the last question was: "Are imported vegetables and fruit safe? Now, I wonder if pesticides are safe as the U.S. standards."

And, you talked about how to clean them, but what about bringing foods -- fruits and vegetables in from elsewhere. Are they as safe as in the U.S.?

BRUHN: You know, hey have to follow the same guidelines that we do in the United States and they are tested when they come into the United States. You can't catch everything, you test a sampling, if you tested everything there'd be nothing left to come in. If they found someone who has violated with the pesticides, they test the company more thoroughly and all of their products that violated, they never make it to the market, they're rejected from the marketplace. But, washing also removes any pesticide residue. So, use that running water and wash -- and you should be in great shape.

FIRFER: OK, Fran in Ohio wants to know: "Does heating lunchmeat in the microwave and letting it cool prior to packing a lunch kill listeria bacteria?"

First of all, too Chris, if you could tell us: listeria, where would you find listeria and what is it?

BRUHN: Ah yes, that's a good question, by the way, too. And heating does destroy listeria. Listeria's a very common bacteria, but there's one type called listeria monocytogenes that can be has hazardous to people, especially women who are pregnant, it can cause them to lose their child -- cause them to lose their baby, and people whose immunity is suppressed can also fall prey to this bacteria. It can be on luncheon meats, hotdogs, and so forth, items that have been in the refrigerator for awhile and have a long shelf life, that bacteria can grow very slowly. So, you do want to destroy it especially if you're among the susceptible people, and heating will do the trick. Drop a hotdog into boiling water for a minute or two, you should be all right. Have a grilled sandwich instead of a cold sandwich, that should be fine, too.

FIRFER: And Chris, you mentioned really quickly, susceptible people. Tell us really quickly who is most susceptible to bacterian (sic) illness.

BRUHN: Children, especially children under ten, they have -- account for about a third of food borne illness. People who are older, but older is relatively as young, as young as maybe 50 or so, you start increasing your susceptibility to food borne illness, people who are diabetics, and people whose immunity is suppressed for some reason.

FIRFER: OK, great. A lot of e mails and questions. We appreciate you calling us and writing us in. We have to take a break. But, is your bottled water safe to drink? Will your diet soda give you cancer? We'll tackle all of your questions from artificial sweeteners to bottled water, after the break, so don't go anywhere unless it's to your phone to give us a call at 1-800-807-2620 or to your computer where you can e-mail us at housecall@cnn.com.

But, before you run off to take our "Daily Dose Health Quiz," here first. Does washing poultry and meat help remove bacteria?

Stay with us for the answer to that. Back in two.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FIRFER: Before the break we asked: "Does washing poultry and meat help remove bacteria? The answer is, unfortunately, no.

In fact, the FDA says it could cross contaminate by spreading germs from you meat to other parts of the kitchen.

And cross contamination is one of the biggest dangers while you're cooking from not washing your hands to using a common cutting board, you could you be making yourself sick. Food safety experts have some quick tips for keeping you from contaminating your food. First, wash your hands. Cutting boards, wash those, and countertops before you even begin cooking. Use two cutting boards if you can, one for raw meat and one for cooked meat and vegetables. Also, keep the meat and seafood separated in plastic bags or containers as soon you buy them, this helps the juices from dripping and mixing on anything else.

Now, we're talking about what's safe to eat with Christine Bruhn, she's the director of the Center for Consumer Research at U.C. Davis.

And Chris, what do you think is the biggest mistake people make when it comes to food safety?

BRUHN: I think people mistakenly think that washing means wiping with a damp cloth, and washing actually means using soap and water. Bubbly -- get those bubbles going and washing your hands for some time -- 20 seconds is what's recommended. I must admit, that's hard to do, 10 seconds at least helps. But, use soap and water when you're washing. And, I think that probably the second biggest mistake is not thoroughly cooking your food. I know we think it's thoroughly cooked, it looks thoroughly cooked, but we're using visual indicators instead of using a thermometer, and what we have to do, and move to do now is use a thermometer, even for something as simple as meatloaf, for chicken, for casseroles, and be sure that the correct temperature has been reached.

They found with the ground meat, for example, people were cooking them until they were brown, thinking that would be safe to destroy any harmful bacteria that could be present, but one out of four hamburgers became brown before it actually was reaching the high enough temperature to destroy the bacteria, so we need to stick that thermometer in and for something like ground beef it's, 160 that you're looking for, and even for casseroles, 160 is a good thing.

FIRFER: Good advice. OK, let's get back to some e-mails, now. We've got a lot of them.

Doug in Florida wants to know: "Is all bottled water safe to drink? Can you drink from a bottle of water that you drank from a few days ago?"

And Chris, I have to admit it every once in a while I'm guilty as well of refilling that bottle because you're too lazy to go get another one. Is that not a good thing?

BRUHN: Well, I would think bottled water is generally safe to eat. Periodically, groups do studies of microbial level and minerals and so forth, and it's shown to be pretty good. No, as far as redrinking from that same bottle, hmmm, it depends on how you're drinking. If you hold that bottle up so you don't -- you know, regurgitate any of the moisture, you're probably going to be all right, but I would recommend that you get a fresh bottle, finish the thing up. The issue is if you get some of your saliva in there, there could be food there, there could be bacteria and now you let that bottled water sit at room temperature for a couple, three days, that's an ideal environment for growing bacteria.

FIRFER: I promise never to do it again, Chris.

OK, Lori in West Virginia writes this morning and she says, "I drink about three bottles of diet soda a day. A hear conflicting information on aspartame. Everything from: it's safe to it causes everything from weight gain and brain cancer. Is aspartame safe?"

Good question.

BRUHN: Yes, many of us enjoy diet soda as a way of having a different beverage and controlling calories a little bit. And actually, that is a fine and safe thing to do. There are a few people, a minority, who have -- who are missing an enzyme and can't digest some of the components that are in aspartame and that's why there's a warning on some of the packages. But for most people, consuming this is just fine, and it's a good way to save calories. There have been studies done both laboratory controlled studies and actual free living people indicating that if individuals consume diet soda they are actually cutting their calories down. So, it's a good way to maintain weight, but a critical thing to remember is don't let that diet soda replace other things your body needs. You need water -- drink water. You need to have fruits and vegetables, so be sure you have -- you know, a glass of juice or something like that, and then very important, be sure you're getting enough calcium. Our most common source of calcium is milk. Adults should have two to three servings, kids have three or more servings. We don't lose our need for this nutrient when we are adults, so be sure that you're getting the rest of your diet -- is balanced.

FIRFER: OK great. Now, if you're a fan of sushi or you're just a fish lover you're going to want to hear our next question, but that's after the break.

We're going to find out how safe it is to be eating the fish on your plate, but first, take a look at one way, besides eating fish, that you can keep feeling fit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. GARY SMALL, UCLA: The biggest complaint people have about memory is names and faces.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Embarrassing memory lapses can be worked out, says Dr. Gary Small. His book, "The Memory Bible" is centerpieces of a new class at UCLA called Memory Training.

SMALL: The idea is, use it or lose it. Work out your brain cells so they can stay active and healthy.

GUPTA: Student's need only remember three words: look, snap, connect.

Look at a situation, take a mental snapshot observing the details and then connect those details to something in your life.

Of course, there are other common sense things you can do to flex your memory muscle according to Dr. Small, reducing stress, eating a healthy brain diet, and exercising your body and your brain. For feeling fit, I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FIRFER: Welcome back to WEEKEND HOUSE CALL we're talking about what's safe to eat these days with Christine Bruhn, a food safety expert.

And Christine, our first e-mail we have is from Mike in Washington, and he writes: "I'm a big fan of sushi and go out to eat it at a local sushi bar about two to three times per week. What are my chances of getting food poisoning and are they much greater than at a normal restaurant? I enjoy it and eat it for its health benefits"

And Chris, I'm a big sushi fan, too. Do we have to worry?

BRUHN: I love sushi, as well. And, Mike, the best is cooked fish. Can you find some cooked items at the sushi bar. Whether you're at risk for food borne illness depends on your health aspects. You know, how old you are, what's your condition of your health. Moderation is always the best thing? You shouldn't get sick at any restaurants. So, enjoy the sushi and how about having the California rule, they're great and that's good cooked crab.

FIRFER: OK, Dean in Florida is on the phone with us.

Good morning, Dean. What's your question for Chris Bruhn?

DEAN, FLORIDA: Yes, good morning, folks. My question is regarding fish. Firs, is fish even inspected and second, with the stories regarding mercury content with pregnant women what are the chances of any kind of harm to children, especially from the early ages of, say maybe from newborn to 6 years old when the brain is being formed, will mercury harm the children?

FIRFER: Great question -- Chris.

BRUHN: Yes, very good question. Indeed, the FDA's guidelines, regarding large fish that can store mercury, and the whole key for everything is moderation. Moderation in variety in your diet in total is going to be safe for you. Pregnant women are advised not to have too much fish, but certainly a serving a week or even less frequently is all right. Fish has got important nutrients that are good for the body overall and as long as you have variety and don't overdo you'll be just fine.

FIRFER: OK, Mary's also on the phone.

Mary in Georgia, good morning. What is your question on food safety?

MARY, GEORGIA: Yes, I eat out a lot because of my job. What precautions should I take when I eat out?

BRUHN: Excellent question, Mary. Many of us are facing restaurants, quite frequently, because of our full schedule. You want to make sure that restaurant is clean and following good sanitation practices. It's tough to look in the kitchen. What I do is look in the bathroom. Make sure that bathroom is clean, make sure it's got toilet paper, make sure it's got hand soap, and towels. If you can't wash your hands the people in the back probably can't wash theirs either. So, check the cleanliness of your restaurant and that should be one of your first guides.

FIRFER: Great, great tip. Love that tip.

OK, when WEEKEND HOUSE CALL returns, we're going to point you to more information that should keep any food anxieties under wraps.

But first, a look at some of this week's medical headlines in today's edition of "For Your Health."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Researchers in South Korea say they have successfully cloned a human embryo and removed stem cells from it. The scientists were quick to add, however, that their technique was not designed to make babies, but make advances in disease research.

Also this week, a new study found post menopausal women may be at greater risk for dying from heart disease if they're depressed. The study followed nearly 100,000 older women and found that those who had a history of depression were significantly more likely to die of cardiovascular disease.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FIRFER: If we've overwhelmed you with information or you have more questions, you can go to the FDA Web site at www.fda.org, there you'll find tips to keep your food safe, plus the latest in food recalls safety alerts.

Well, we're out of time, Christine Bruhn, thank you so much for waking up early with us on Sunday morning, I know it's oh-dark-hundred out on the West coast, there -- to help answer our questions.

Quickly before we go, one last final take home message for everybody.

BRUHN: Make sure your food is safe by washing your hands and cooking things properly and enjoying a good balanced diet.

FIRFER: OK, thank you do much, we appreciate your time this morning.

And, thank all of you for your phone calls and your e-mails. Tune in next Saturday morning for more WEEKEND HOUSE CALL, that's at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time. Thanks so much for spending some time with us.

I'm Holly Firfer. CNN's "Sunday Morning" continues right now.

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