One method to control LDL cholesterol

We’ll start with the good and tasty news: Pecans can help you stay healthy in important ways. And since 80 percent of the world’s supply is grown in the U.S., pecans are never in short supply.

A study out of the University of Georgia found that eating 2.4 ounces of pecans daily for eight weeks slashed LDL cholesterol levels by 6 to 9 percent, substantially reducing the risk of coronary artery disease.

Benefits beyond heart health: Lowering your

LDL level does more than protect your heart health; it may help protect you from cancer. A study in Nature Communications reveals that chronically high cholesterol levels increase the risks of breast cancer and lead to worse outcomes from most types of cancer.

To send lousy cholesterol down, good cholesterol up: 1. Add pecans (and walnuts) to your plant-centered diet ; ditch red and processed meats and added sugars. 2. Walk at least an hour a day five days a week to lower LDL cholesterol.

Salmonella alerts

Recent outbreaks of salmonella illness have been linked to contaminated fruit and vegetables, eggs, raw chicken, cooked shrimp and ground turkey. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates salmonella causes 1.2 million foodborne illnesses and 450 deaths annually in the U.S.

Where does it come from? Salmonella bacteria live in the intestines of people and animals and spread to agricultural products through contaminated water or they’re dispersed directly in food production/packaging facilities. Kids younger than 5, adults over age 65 and anyone with a weakened immune system are most vulnerable to severe consequences from the diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps that the bacteria can trigger.

Your best protection comes from:

■ Storing raw meat, poultry and seafood away from other foods.

■ Never rinsing off raw poultry before cooking.

■ Using separate cutting boards for raw meat and produce.

■ Never placing cooked food on an unwashed plate that’s had raw meat on it.

■ Never eating unpasteurized raw eggs or unbaked cookie dough.

■ Washing your hands frequently, especially after changing a diaper, cleaning up pet feces or handling raw animal products.

■ Cooking meats/poultry to recommended temperatures. Check out www. Foodsafety.gov; search for “safe minimum cooking temperatures.”