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How to Prevent Foodborne Illness and Ensure Your Health
Many people an suffer from foodborne illnesses each year, so it’s important to be aware of how to prevent foodborne illnesses and ensure your health. From cleaning fruits and vegetables properly to wash your hands carefully, there are some easy steps you can take to make sure you are eating safely.
1. Keep Hands Clean
This one should go without saying, but always wash your hands with soap and warm water before handling food. Your hands are the number one way that germs are spread, so if you don’t wash them before touching your food, you may be putting yourself in danger.
2. Clean Fruits and Vegetables
Make sure to thoroughly wash fruits and vegetables to ensure that there are no bacteria or contaminants on them. This can be done quickly and easily by scrubbing them with warm, soapy water and then rinsing them well.
3. Separate Foods
Be sure to separate raw meats, fish, and poultry from other foods in your grocery store cart and when you are storing them in the fridge. This is to prevent bacteria from one food getting onto another food and making you sick.
4. Cook Food Properly
Be sure to cook your food properly to kill any bacteria that may be present. Most meats, poultry, eggs, and fish need to be cooked to at least 145 degrees in order to be safe to eat. Use a food thermometer to make sure the internal temperature is where it needs to be.
5. Don’t Reuse Cooking Utensils
It’s important to not reuse utensils when cooking. This means that you should use a separate spoon for stirring the food, a separate cutting board for cutting ingredients, and a separate plate for serving the food. This will reduce the risk of cross contamination that can lead to foodborne illness.
Conclusion
These are just a few easy tips on how to prevent foodborne illnesses and ensure your health. Taking the time to follow these steps will help make sure that you and your family stay safe and healthy.