Tips to Prevent Food Poisoning This Summer
If you have ever suffered from food poisoning, you’ll know how horrible it is. Contracting it over summer can be particularly disappointing as it forces you to miss out on sunny days, social gatherings, and summer fun. What’s worse is contracting it while you’re on vacation, away from home and your medical resources.
Food poisoning occurs when microorganisms develop on food, particularly protein sources such as meat, fish, dairy products, and eggs. Keep in mind that food items like these are not sterile when you get them, making it easy to ingest the microorganisms on this food or to cross-contaminate other items.
Our Top Tips to Prevent Food Poisoning
Wash your hands
Wash your hands thoroughly with cleanser and water then pat hands dry. Always wash your hands before handling food and immediately after touching raw meat, eggs, and fish. Washing your hands before eating is also important, whether you cooked the food yourself or ordered it in a restaurant.
- Wipe down worktops
Always wipe down the work surfaces before and after cooking with hot, soapy water. If you cook with meat, fish, or eggs, be especially sure to wipe down the surfaces thoroughly.
- Use a separate chopping board
Utilize different cutting boards for raw meat, vegetables, and cooked food. This habit is simple but can stop the spread of dangerous microorganism from being passed to each food product.
- Check use-by dates
Pay attention to use-by and best-before dates. Throw out anything that is past its use-by date, and check products past their best-before date for mold, unpleasant smells, changes in consistency that will signal that they are past their prime and should not be consumed.
- Make sure food is thoroughly cooked
Whether at home or away on vacation, food should be piping hot throughout and visibly cooked. Do not eat meat that is red or bloody.
These tips should help to keep food poisoning at bay this summer. For all of your health concerns and any of your medical needs, visit Sand Canyon Urgent Care. We welcome walk-in patients. Our onsite diagnostic and lab facilities help us to best serve you and your loved ones. Call us at (949) 536-7892 or visit us here to get started!
