In the wake of a growing number of food recalls centered around fruits and vegetables, the Department of Agriculture is issuing ways to stay safe.

The most recent recall this summer includes Peaches, nectarines, plums that were sold at major outlets including Costco, Trader Joe's, Kroger and Walmart.

Whether from a supermarket, farmer's market or warehouse club, always inspect produce to make sure it's not bruised or damaged.

Pre-cut produce should be refrigerated or surrounded by ice and kept away from raw meat, poultry or seafood to avoid cross contamination.

After washing, fruit should be dried with a paper towel.

Avoiding a second stroke


Stroke patients and their families can be taught to monitor the patient’s pulse and detect irregular heartbeats that might lead to another stroke, according to a new study.

Of people who have a stroke, 40 percent will suffer another one within the next 10 years, said lead author Dr. Bernd Kallmunzer of the Department of Neurology at Universitatsklinikum Erlangen in Germany.

Taking a pulse reading can detect atrial fibrillation, a major risk factor for stroke, and facilitate appropriate treatment to reduce the risk of another stroke or death.

The study team tested how accurately patients and their families could detect fibrillation just by taking a pulse.

The study, online July 23 in Neurology, included 256 patients who had suffered a first stroke and were treated at the authors’ stroke unit in Germany in late 2012 or early 2013. While still hospitalized, the patients and in some cases also their relatives were taught to take pulse readings from the radial artery in the left wrist.