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"Every Wednesday Dr. Sandy, an Atlanta-based internist, will answer three reader-submitted health questions. Submit yours here and read her responses.  Reader Question: Fruit and Veggie Safety It&amp;#039;s summer and I&amp;#039;m trying to eat more salads and fresh fruits and vegetables, but I can&amp;#039;t help but think of the spinach/e.coli scare. What can I do to best protect myself from something like that?&amp;quot; On Call Response: Fruits and vegetables are supposed to be good for you, and they are! But it&amp;#039;s hard to forget the national outbreak of toxic E.coli that was linked to raw, pre-washed bagged spinach. In that case, experts think the spinach was contaminated in the growing and packing process. And even though that&amp;#039;s totally out of your control, there are steps you can take at home to reduce your risk. First, wash your hands thoroughly under warm, running water. Then wash the produce. Even if the product says it&amp;#039;s been pre-washed, go ahead and wash it again. Rinse off any dirt or other debris, remove the outer leaves, throw them away, and then wash again. (Personally I don&amp;#039;t scrub the fruits and veggies with a brush because the brush can be a breeding ground for bacteria.) Then place the produce on a clean surface once it&amp;#039;s washed. If you&amp;#039;re also cooking raw meat or chicken, make sure it doesn&amp;#039;t touch that or any cutting boards or utensils that you used on the raw foods. To cut fruits and vegetables, make sure you use a clean knife every time. Refrigerate any leftovers as soon as possible. Letting food sit out at room temperature can help bacteria multiply. If you think you have symptoms of food related illness such as fever, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, don&amp;#039;t delay, call your doctor and get it checked out. Reader Question: Eat before or after exercise in the am? I like to run in the mornings and I always eat a good breakfast after my run. But a friend recently told me that eating before my run is better for me. I get cramps easily if I eat before I run so I am not sure about this. Which is the healthier practice: to eat before or after the run or both? On Call Response: Eating something both before and after exercise is best. You want your pre-run snack to stabilize your blood sugar while keeping you hydrated and your stomach relatively empty to avoid cramps. Cramps, nausea and vomiting can happen when fluid and food are sitting around in your stomach. High protein, high fat foods take a lot longer to digest so keep your pre-run snack light. A banana, some strawberries or half a whole wheat bagel may be just enough to keep your blood sugar from dropping, boost your energy and help avoid dizziness and fatigue. Then after you run, finish off your morning meal with some protein like eggs. As far as what to drink, try to stick with room temperature fluids before you run, and afterwards, go cool. Cool liquids post exercise leave the stomach quicker. If you tend to have cramps, avoid carbonated beverages. They can make you feel bloated which means you may not want to drink as much which can interfere with your hydration and can also lead to cramps. Reader Question: New anti-smoking drug? I&amp;#039;ve heard there&amp;#039;s a new drug called Chantix that&amp;#039;s supposed to help you quit smoking. How is it different from other stop-smoking aids? On Call Response: Many products out there help you quit by giving you progressively smaller doses of nicotine. Chantix (varenicline tartrate) eases the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal by increasing a pleasure-inducing chemical in the brain called dopamine. This prescription pill also changes how nicotine affects you, so if you do start smoking again, you won&amp;#039;t find it as satisfying as you did before. If you do decide to take Chantix, expect to use it for 12 weeks; it works best when combined with behavioral therapy. (Once you&amp;#039;ve filled your prescription, you&amp;#039;ll get access to free internet-based counseling). At $116 per month, it&amp;#039;s pricey, but at least you won&amp;#039;t be spending money on cigarettes. As always, the drug can also have side effects including nausea, sleep problems, constipation, vomiting and flatulence. People with kidney problems who take Chantix must be closely monitored.  You can click here to find out more about me, but I want to hear from you. So email me at dailywd@womansday.com. For answers to questions about you and your health, log on to &amp;quot;ON CALL with Dr. Sandy.&amp;quot;  Disclaimer: Your seeking information on health related topics and/or Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, M.D.&amp;#039;s providing such information herein constitutes neither the solicitation of nor the provision of medical advice, services, care or treatment. Communication with Dr. Fryhofer on this website does not create a doctor/patient relationship. For concerns about your own particular medical condition, you should consult your own medical professional who can examine and evaluate you. Communication on a website is not a substitute for taking an active role in your own medical care and treatment and being personally seen by a physician of choice in your area.p&amp;amp;gt;  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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