▲

Food poisoning is a serious problem. It causes an enormous numbers of illnesses around the world every day, and it can even lead to death. Sometimes it can come from genuine error, but more often than not it is highly preventable. You just need to take certain precautions to ensure that risks are minimized!

Read on for some important safety tips to follow, and to find out which foods you should be especially cautious with.

▲Here are some top tips to ensure that neither you or your loved ones are put at risk of food poisoning.

▲It may sound obvious, but washing your hands is critically important. Do it before preparing food, and after touching raw meat, eggs, etc.

▲Make sure that your surfaces are cleaned thoroughly, both before and after preparing food. This is even more important if raw meat or fish is being prepared.

▲It is very important to regularly wash hand and dish towels. This becomes even more important if they stay damp for long periods of time. Damp conditions are a breeding ground for bacteria.

▲It is advisable to keep a separate cutting board for raw meat and fish. Best also to avoid wooden chopping boards, as they are harder to clean and dry.

▲It is critically important to keep raw meat separate from other foods, especially foods that don't require cooking. If bacteria spreads, and the food isn't cooked, it won't be killed.

▲It is always advisable to store raw meat at the bottom of your refrigerator. This will ensure that no meat juices can drip onto food underneath.

▲Ensure that meat is cooked thoroughly, and that no pink color remains inside once it is cooked. This is essential to minimizing food poisoning risks.

▲It is important to make sure your food is stored at the correct temperature. Also, try not to overload your refrigerator, as this can affect the overall temperature due to lack of air flow.

▲Ensure that anything that won't be eaten the same day is stored quickly, and certainly within 90 minutes. It's not recommended to consume leftovers after 48 hours.

▲Food may appear to be OK after its expiration date, but the dates are there for a reason. Don't take the risk, especially in regards to meat, fish, eggs, or dairy.

▲Even if your hands are clean, you don't want to be coughing and sneezing everywhere while you're preparing food for other people. This could make them just as ill as you!

▲Fruits and vegetables can contain a lot of unpleasant bacteria, therefore it is essential to wash them thoroughly. They may also have traces of pesticides.

▲Some people think that washing meat is a good idea. This is wrong! It doesn't remove bacteria, and it may spread it to your sink and surfaces.

▲It can be very dangerous to defrost food, especially meat and fish, at room temperature. Harmful bacteria can spread very quickly.

▲It is not a good idea to taste food you suspect to be bad. If it has gone bad, just a small quantity could make you very ill. Don't take the chance!

▲Food poisoning may come from a huge variety of foods, but some are far riskier than others. Here are a few of the foods to be extra cautious with.

▲A huge amount of uncooked poultry contains campylobacter and it can also contain salmonella. The good news is that these bacteria are killed by thorough cooking.

▲It is very easy for fish and shellfish to quickly become unsafe if they are not stored at the right temperature. Always throw away mussels, clams, oysters, etc., that don't open when cooked.

▲Rice can contain bacillus cereus, which won't necessarily be killed by cooking. The risk of food poisoning increases when cooked rice is left out at room temperature.

▲Deli meats can contain both listeria and staphylococcus aureus, both of which can make you very ill. Be extra cautious with meat from a deli counter, which is more likely to contain bacteria than pre-packaged deli meats.

▲Eggs can often carry salmonella. Therefore, it is very important to ensure that they are thoroughly cooked before consuming. It is safer to avoid recipes that require raw eggs.

▲Pasteurization is an important process as it kills a huge number of bacteria, including listeria and salmonella. Avoiding unpasteurized dairy is the safest choice.

▲Sprouts grow in moist conditions, which can be a breeding ground for bacteria such as salmonella and listeria. Fortunately, cooking them can definitively reduce the risks of becoming ill.

▲While many fruits can contain bacteria, melon is especially risky as listeria can grow in the rind, making it hard to remove. It can then spread to the flesh of the fruit. A thorough washing is essential.

▲It is essential to wash fresh salad, of course, but bagged salad may be even more risky. It is often sold washed, but the environment in the bag can be a breeding ground for salmonella and other bacteria.

▲Bacteria can contaminate raw flour very easily. Therefore, it is important to wash your hands after touching raw flour, cook it thoroughly, and do not consume it raw!

▲Ground meat is processed, which makes it dangerous ground for bacteria. This is why it is important to thoroughly cook it.

▲Potato salad can be cross-contaminated from meat, cheese, etc., at deli counters. As it contains cooked potato, it is important to eat it before its use-by date.

▲

Red kidney beans contain a type of lectin, which is a protein, called phytohaemagglutinin. If this is not destroyed by thorough cooking, it can cause vomiting and diarrhea.

How to avoid food poisoning, and the most common foods that cause it

Some top tips to keep safe

20/12/19 por StarsInsider

FOOD Sickness

Food poisoning is a serious problem. It causes an enormous numbers of illnesses around the world every day, and it can even lead to death. Sometimes it can come from genuine error, but more often than not it is highly preventable. You just need to take certain precautions to ensure that risks are minimized!

Read on for some important safety tips to follow, and to find out which foods you should be especially cautious with.