Busting a Vitamin D Myth

We can get enough Vitamin D from sunshine and the correct diet, right? Wrong! Although Vitamin D is known as the "sunshine vitamin," it's simply not possible to get all the Vitamin D we need from sunlight while following safe sun exposure practices. Of course, this is particularly true during winter with long, dark nights. While our skin is able to ultimately convert a limited range of the sun's UVB rays into Vitamin D3, there are many factors that affect this process, such as geographical location, season, UV index, climate, pollution, skin tone, and even age. That's not even considering how little time we spend outside as a modern society. What about Vitamin D in our food? Unfortunately, even the foods richest in Vitamin D don't provide high enough quantities to meet our daily needs. For example: Trout is the richest food source of Vitamin D available, but it only provides 645 I.U. per 3-ounce serving. Each day, you would need to eat approximately 23 ounces of trout to meet 5,000 I.U. of Vitamin D necessary. So, how do you get enough Vitamin D? Supplements are the answer, but it must be at the proper dosage to achieve sufficiency. Choose Vitamin D3 over Vitamin D2 because it’s more potent. To ensure optimal absorption, take it with a fat source, including avocado, olive oil, nuts/seeds, eggs, fish, and dairy.

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FDA Approval for Drill-Free Cavity Care May Be Imminent

FDA approval may be imminent for a key innovation in dentistry that could spare thousands of children from painful pulling, drilling, and infections with a simple fluid coating. Every year, untreated tooth decay sends thousands of young children to emergency rooms for dental problems doctors can’t treat. Many eventually undergo surgery under general anesthesia, while others endure pain and infection. Now, a simple, inexpensive liquid called silver diamine fluoride (SDF) could spare many of those children. Applied to a cavity with a tiny sponge-tipped applicator in a few second’s time, SDF arrests decay without drilling, shots, or sedation. Dentists have used SDF successfully for decades in many countries, and off label in the United States since 2014, when it was approved as a medical device to treat tooth sensitivity. However, it has lacked the large clinical trials for effectiveness and safety that are needed for FDA approval as a drug to treat cavities. Now, a University of Michigan-led clinical trial has produced that evidence. Removing SDF from off-label status would be an important innovation that could lead to increased utilization by providers, enhanced payments by insurers, and more consistent product quality.

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Debate Settled! Is It Safe to Eat an Egg If It Cracked In the Carton?

If you’re like most shoppers, it’s likely you have forgotten to open the egg carton to check for cracked shells as you’re cruising down the dairy aisle. That may lead you to wonder if you really need to throw away eggs that are already cracked before you bring them home. How about eggs that accidentally break on the way home? Obviously, you hate to throw eggs out, especially since they’re so expensive these days, but you also don’t want to make your family sick. Is it safe to eat a cracked egg? No, it’s not. The shell is the protective package, so any crack that has occurred opens the opportunity for pathogens or spoilage bacteria to enter. In other words, the shell is keeping the bad guys out. The second it opens, they can start getting in. What about a hairline crack? Nope! Any crack or break — no matter how big or small — creates an opening for bacteria. That being said, there is some flexibility when it comes to the timing of the crack. Let’s say you check the carton in the store and the eggs are crack-free. Then the milk falls on top of them in the car on the way home and one suffers a crack. You can transfer the egg immediately to a container with a seal. The key is limiting the amount of time the egg spends in the cracked shell. If you cook and egg or transfer it to an airtight container within a few hours of the shell cracking, it should be safe to eat or use at a later date. Just keep in mind that you’re on the clock. You need to use that cracked egg within two days before it’s no longer advisable.

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When an Invasive Fish is Also Tasty

Blue catfish have taken over in Maryland. Since spreading to the Chesapeake Bay in recent decades, the fish has become an apex predator. It can grow to more than 100 pounds, and its voracious appetite is fueling worries that it’s eating too many native species. Enter Preston Elementary School. State officials first asked Beth Brewster, who overseas food services for Caroline County Public Schools, to tackle the problem. Brewster, an out-of-the-box thinker, began experimenting with fish recipes that appeal to kids but also conform to federal dietary standards. That’s how she and her team landed on a crabcake-like dish made of blue catfish. Now kids file into the school cafeteria, and alongside grapes and broccoli, they get what they’ve dubbed “catty patty” — catfish cakes. Now, other school districts in both Maryland and Virginia are serving blue catfish. With the Maryland Department of Natural Resources encouraging fishermen to catch as many of the blue catfish as they want, schools in the area will likely never run out of “catty patty."

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