Antibiotics in food. How to choose a safe food product? Antibiotics in herbal products

Health

"Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food" Hippocrates.

Herbal science knows herbs and foods that help naturally purify the blood and are naturally antibiotics. Word antibiotic Literally means "harmful to life" and refers to a number of pharmacological antimicrobial substances that are aimed at destroying pathogenic bacteria in the body. The problem is that synthetic antibiotics destroy not only harmful bacteria, but also beneficial ones that make up the microflora that the body needs and support immunity.

By consuming foods and herbs with natural antibiotics, you can support your immune system while still fighting certain bacterial infections, including Lyme spirochete or candida fungus. There are many foods and herbs with antibiotic properties that can be consumed daily to protect against disease-causing bacteria.

Of course, this does not mean that you should refuse synthetic antibiotics in certain cases when your doctor strongly recommends you use them. However, by knowing how to use certain foods as natural medicines, you can keep your use of synthetic antibiotics to a minimum, as you will be less likely to get sick.

Onion and garlic

Close relatives, these plants have antibiotic properties. Onions and garlic are used to treat many simple diseases and serious diseases, inflammatory processes, both as food and in other forms. Sulfur, a component of onion and garlic, plays an important role as an antibiotic in this case. Scientists conducted experiments with mice that were given garlic to fight antibiotic-resistant staphylococcus aureus. As a result, it turned out that garlic protected the rodents from the pathogen, and also significantly helped reduce inflammation. These products are used to combat the residual effects of colds and flu, and the antifungal properties of garlic can also prevent the spread of fungal infections and viral diseases. The high content of phytonutrients in onions helps to destroy free radicals that can cause the development of cancerous tumors.

Honey has been used as an antibacterial agent long before the advent of synthetic antibiotics around the world to treat wounds and various diseases. Honey contains special enzymes that are inherently antibacterial and produce hydrogen peroxide, so honey does not allow certain bacteria to multiply. In Chinese medicine, it is believed that honey harmonizes the liver, neutralizes toxins, and reduces pain. The antibacterial properties of honey effectively cope with helicobacter pylori- gastric and intestinal pathogenic bacteria, prevent the appearance of stomach ulcers.


Cabbage

A representative of the cruciferous family, ordinary cabbage, as well as its other types - broccoli, kale, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, are known to have unique properties. Thanks to the sulfur present in these vegetables, cabbage helps prevent cancer. These vegetables are also rich in vitamin C, which is considered a natural antibiotic, and a glass of chopped cabbage will provide your body with 75 percent of the daily value of this vitamin. Cabbage juice is recommended to drink for the treatment of stomach ulcers. To do this, it is advised to drink half a glass of juice 2-3 times a day between meals for 2 weeks. You can also add half a teaspoon of honey to the juice. Cabbage leaves can be used to treat mastitis and breast tenderness in women by compressing them and applying them to the breasts.

fermented foods

Today, more and more doctors advise taking probiotics along with antibiotics to restore the intestinal microflora that is being destroyed due to medication. Fermented vegetables are rich in microorganisms and provide many benefits. Eating sauerkraut, pickles, kimchi (sour vegetables) is a great way to add beneficial bacteria to your body.


Herbs

There are a large number of herbs that have antibiotic properties. The herbs that we will mention are used in cooking, so you can add them as spices to your dishes:

Allspice

Rosemary

Melissa lemon

Carnation

Bay leaf

Chilli

Coriander

Nutmeg

Cardamom

Red pepper

Medicine does not stand still, every year there are more and more effective drugs. However, often the strongest drugs produce the most severe side effects. At the same time, our distant ancestors did without synthetic remedies and successfully cured many diseases with the help of folk recipes. Of course, we should not underestimate the role of official medicine, but it is better to know what products can help us in the treatment of certain diseases.


Nowadays, antibiotics are quite popular among medicines.. Unfortunately, many people, not knowing the basic principles of these drugs, take them on a case-by-case basis. However, already from the name it is clear that the components of this word "anti" and "bio" mean - "anti-life" or "murder of the living." Indeed, antibiotics kill the living pathogens that cause disease. But they also kill many beneficial bacteria. As a result, with excessive use of such drugs, the immune system can be disrupted, which again leads to diseases.

And here natural antibiotics have no side effects. They also contain substances that kill harmful microorganisms, but their effect does not extend to other bacteria. When eaten regularly, these products make our immunity stronger, do not allow microbes to enter our body. They are especially relevant in our time, when there are more and more infections that cannot be treated with conventional antibiotics.

Of course, if the doctor has prescribed this or that drug, you should not refuse it in favor of natural products. Pharmaceuticals have many of their benefits, and self-medication can lead to negative consequences. But as a preventive measure or as a means of maintaining the main course of treatment, it is very useful to use natural antibiotics.

A fairly large number of natural products have an antibiotic effect. These include, first of all, garlic, parsley and onion.

Antibiotic product - garlic

Antibiotic product - onion

It is known that peoples who often use onions for food are less likely to suffer from ailments such as diabetes, atherosclerosis and cancer than those who do not like this plant. But it is not only a natural antibiotic, but also a source of a large number of useful substances. It contains vitamins A, B1, B2, C, E, nicotinic acid, magnesium, calcium, manganese, iron, phosphorus, etc. But the antibiotic properties of onions are given by sulfur compounds and compounds of thiocyanic acid. Onions also contain essential oil, which is released when peeling and cutting onions and makes us cry. An interesting fact is that it is not the substance itself that is useful, but its irritating effect. When cutting onions, not only the lacrimal glands are activated, but also the glands of the nasal cavity, bronchi and trachea. This action helps to quickly clear the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract. And in the nasal cavity and bronchi, in addition, when irritated, the enzyme lysozyme is produced, which has an antibacterial effect, that is, it fights infections.

Different types of onions are suitable for the prevention and treatment of diseases - egg-shaped Italian red, large sweet and round red. Green onions are also used, because it has not only antibiotic properties, but also contains much more vitamins than onions.

Raw onions help with various infections- colds, gastric and intestinal, helps prevent the development of diabetes and atherosclerosis. People with a sensitive stomach are better off eating onions that have been thermally processed. In this form, it loses some of its properties, but it does not have such a strong irritating effect on the mucous membrane of internal organs.

Antibiotic product - parsley

Parsley has also been used as a medicinal herb since ancient times.. It has become widespread in many countries around the world. The vitamin composition of this greenery is simply amazing. It contains vitamin A, B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, C, E, K, H (biotin). Among the macronutrients, it simply has a huge amount of potassium, a lot of sulfur, calcium, chlorine and phosphorus, there is magnesium and sodium. Of the microelements, there is especially a lot of iron and manganese, there are also iodine, fluorine, copper and zinc.

According to scientific studies, essential oils, active substances and phytoncides contained in parsley have an antibiotic effect on urinary tract infections and gout. The exceptions are acute cystitis and glomerulonephritis; parsley does not apply to these diseases.

Parsley also improves immunity, has anti-cancer and detoxification effects. It contains chlorophyll, a substance that is similar in some properties to human hemoglobin. Therefore, with the regular use of parsley in food, the level of oxygen in the cells rises, which leads to the cleansing of the body, promotes faster healing of wounds, burns and ulcers.

Unfortunately, nowadays people are increasingly abandoning natural products in favor of convenience foods and flavor enhancers. But it is worth noting that dishes seasoned with onions or garlic and garnished with parsley are not only much tastier, but also bring tangible benefits.

Antibiotics are substances used not only in the medical industry.

Now they are also used in animal husbandry, vegetable growing, and crop production.

Grown vegetables or fruits are treated with these substances to increase their shelf life.

But there is also an indirect way of getting antibiotics into food.

The livestock industry contributes to this. Let's analyze all the ways that antibiotics get into products.

The impact of animal husbandry on crop production

The use of antibiotics on livestock farms is necessary not only to fight infections and diseases. Also, the addition of these substances to the feed contributes to the rapid growth of animals, which is very much appreciated by farmers.

The waste products of animals, falling into the ground, are absorbed by it or carried by rain streams. Thus, the antibiotics contained in the earth and water are absorbed by the roots of plants and trees.

It is no secret that each of us consumes some dose of antibiotics with water and food. They can also enter the human stomach through the meat and dairy products of livestock farms.

Scientists argue that the closer the location of a person to animal husbandry complexes, the greater the dose of antibiotics in his body. The absorption of these substances by various plants has been proven.

Even after the application of organic fertilizers, there is an absorption of antibiotics by corn, potatoes, lettuce and other crops.

The scale of use of these substances is large. The United States is especially guilty of this.

More than half of all antibiotics in existence are used continuously to ensure the highest possible production.

However, less and less attention is paid to people's health. Involuntarily, we become subjects of uncontrolled intake of medical drugs.

Current research proves that the amount of antibiotics in the human body significantly exceeds the norm.

Their entry there is primarily due to the consumption of food products, often advertised abroad as "environmentally friendly".

This cannot be true, because the content of antibiotic substances in products denies the fact of their harmlessness.

The ability of plant products to absorb antibiotics from animal waste products has been proven. Planted corn, cabbage and green onions were "fed" with manure received from the farm.

Naturally, new methods of cultivation based on medication were effectively applied on it. Six weeks later, analysis of the grown cultures revealed the presence of chlortetracycline in them.

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This is a medical device used for the treatment and prevention of diseases. In the second case, two-year-old liquid pig manure was used to feed the plants.

The research results showed the content of sulfamethazine in plants.

Moreover, the concentration of the substance used for processing in manure and the resulting products were in direct proportion.

The experiments carried out have established that most of the antibiotic preparations administered or received by animals or birds are excreted in their original form.

On average, this figure is up to 80 percent.

So, a huge mass of active substances excreted from the body of animals is used as fertilizer for the soil of greenhouses and agricultural plots.

The manure introduced into the soil already after a few weeks affects the condition of the plants. After only six weeks, the content of the noted substances in the leaves is noticed.

It should be noted that the growing season of many crops is much longer than a couple of weeks. Therefore, the concentration of active substances in the plant by the end of this period is even more significant.

The relative rate of absorption of substances into the fruits of plants from the soil has been established - about 0.1 percent. The value seems to be minimal.

However, no one knows yet how the cumulative accumulation of these substances affects human health. After all, every day we eat a sufficient amount of vegetables and fruits.

Direct way of influencing plant products

The direct effect is the treatment of products with antibiotics. Often, vegetable growers use a method to increase the mass of fruits by placing them in water.

The harvested crop is placed for some time in vessels with water. Absorbing, water increases the volume of the fetus up to 15 percent.

Adding antibiotics to water helps to significantly increase the shelf life of the product.

Often, citrus sellers are faced with a situation of rapid spoilage of products from Azerbaijan or Georgia.

White spots appear on them, external and taste qualities drop sharply.

Such products require close attention, and when the first signs of damage appear, sellers significantly reduce the cost.

On the other hand, the same range of products brought from countries such as Greece or Morocco surprises with its durability. They can lie in warehouses for months, retaining their original appearance.

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What is the secret? In the processing of active substances. Moreover, the concentration and processing period are not indicated anywhere. This is now called a "trade secret".

Which foods contain the highest concentration of antibiotics?

The highest concentration of antibiotics have those products that have not undergone additional heat treatment. Cabbage, cucumbers, and radishes eaten fresh contain the most hazardous substances.

Canned corn, peas and other vegetables and fruits supplied in the form of canned food have the lowest content of antibiotic substances. The elevated temperature used to process food in the canning industry destroys a significant amount of antibiotics.

Are antibiotics really harmful to human health?

Scientists have proven that the constant consumption of these substances is fraught with gradual addiction to them. In addition, their distribution in the environment is almost impossible to track and prevent, primarily due to the constant use of these substances in the livestock industry.

According to scientists, a noticeable increase in allergic reactions and manifestations of childhood asthma in the past two decades is associated with the passive use of antibiotics.

Studies have proven the negative impact of antibiotics on children up to six months, which subsequently affects the health of babies.

They are more likely to suffer from asthma or allergies.

In 2000, the Union of Concerned Scientists released a relentless statistic.

Her data showed the huge scale of antibiotic use in the livestock countries of the European Union and the United States. Moreover, in many cases, drugs were used as food additives to accelerate the growth of animals.

Already in 2006, a decision was made in the EU to ban this practice of using antibiotics.

At the same time, in my opinion, the vast majority of people, antibiotics contained in certain quantities, will not cause harm.

The noise around organic products is primarily associated not with its radical positive difference from the usual one, but with the opportunity to earn good money and promote on this topic - and on related topics too.

2. Are there risks of developing antibiotic resistance in humans?

This problem can be (and has been) very acute - for example, the outbreak of the spread of microorganisms resistant to vancomycin (the last line of defense against some pathogens, primarily against methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus) is associated with the use of avoparcin in the past.

This antibiotic was subsequently banned for use in the EU.

3. Are antibiotics destroyed by heat treatment of foods?

It is probably impossible to get poisoned by antibiotics contained in real conditions in meat, eggs or milk.

But to get sensitization, that is, an increase in the sensitivity of the body to the effects of irritants, causing an allergic reaction, is quite likely. And heat treatment will not significantly affect this, unfortunately.

4. The fatter the foods, the higher the risk of finding antibiotics?

However, later, when curd is obtained from milk, for example, the concentration of antibiotics in the curd can be many times higher than their concentration in the remaining whey. Due to the variety of antibiotics and food processing processes, I personally don't see a way to build a robust product selection strategy that guarantees minimizing antibiotic exposure based on the fat content of foods.

5. Will milk ferment if it contains antibiotics?

6. Can antibiotics in products provoke dysbacteriosis?

Dysbacteriosis is one of the far-fetched phenomena of our life. Dysbacteriosis is a word behind which there is no specific physiological or other condition of a person or his organs.

The biocenosis in the human intestinal lumen is very variable and there is no one optimal setting for it - there is a huge variety of more or less acceptable states, ratios between microorganisms.

7. What antibiotics are currently used in animal husbandry?

We all live in Russia, where, as you know, the severity of laws is compensated by the non-obligation to comply with them, so in rare special cases, I admit, anything can happen.

However, to reiterate, antibiotic residues in livestock products under real conditions are usually so small that they are unlikely to cause direct harm.

8. Reliability of methods for determining antibiotics in products?

These documents contain good methods (for example, chromatographic). Suffice it to say that the methods of controlling the production of veterinary products are not much inferior to those in the pharmaceutical industry, and in some cases can even surpass them.

The same can be said about control methods in the food industry. Methods for the determination of antibiotics are quite adequate to the goals and objectives of such control.

It's easy to calculate. The average therapeutic concentration of, for example, tetracycline is 10 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. Therefore, a 100-gram steak can contain no more than 1 milligram of tetracycline. This is provided that the cow or chicken was fed with an antibiotic until the very last minute, and during the cooking process, tetracycline was at least partially not destroyed and completely absorbed in the intestines. But even with such a fantastic development of events, this insignificant amount of the drug cannot have any serious pathological effect on the human body. In fact, the actual concentration of antibiotics in meat according to the results of various scientific studies is much less, and according to the Technical Regulations "On Food Safety" and SanPiN 2.3.2.1078-01 "Hygienic Requirements for the Safety and Nutritional Value of Foods" should not exceed 0.01 mg /kg

Why are antibiotics in meat dangerous to health?

Of course, it is better to eat a juicy steak without tetracycline at all. Why? First, even meager doses of antibiotics, although rare, can cause an allergic reaction. Secondly, regular tetracyclinization leads to the formation of resistance of microorganisms to this group of drugs. And, despite the limited use of tetracyclines in antibiotic therapy, this can have negative consequences in the treatment of infections. Thirdly, if the products contain a significant amount of antibiotics, this leads to an imbalance in the natural flora, dysbacteriosis and a decrease in immunity.

How to neutralize the harm and reduce the concentration of antibiotics in products?

First of all, buy meat, milk, poultry and eggs only in trusted outlets from a manufacturer you trust.

Boiling has little effect on the content of antibiotics in milk. After boiling, as well as during the souring of milk, only 10% of their amount is destroyed. The greatest reduction in the amount of antibiotics occurs during pasteurization. Therefore, it is preferable to buy pasteurized milk.

Boiling meat for 3 hours reduces the content of antibiotics by 90%. In this case, 20% of the antibiotics are destroyed, and 70% goes into the broth. For this reason, the housewives must remove the foam when cooking meat or even drain the first broth.

But washing or freezing meat reduces the content of antibiotics by 20-25%.

And two interesting facts in conclusion

Oddly enough, but tetracycline and other antibiotics are on the List of food additives E700 - E799. So be careful and remember these letters.

And the undisputed leader in the content of antibiotics is turkey meat. In turkey meat, an increased content of tetracycline is most often found. There is something to think about Christmas gourmets.