Tips to Avoid Food Poisoning

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Tips to Avoid Food Poisoning or how to Avoid Food Poisoning

Food poisoning is a blanket term that refers to a number of health issues caused by bacterial infections, viruses, and parasites that you can ingest with your food. Doctors say that you actually get food poisoning more often than you think; they purport that every time you have diarrhea lasting longer than 24 hours, it is actually a food-borne illness and not just a "stomach bug." Food poisoning can easily be avoided if you prepare your food correctly and safely. This article will outline some tips to help keep you and your loved ones healthy and safe.


There are a number of ways in which food products can become carriers for organisms and viruses that cause all of the health problems associated with food poisoning. Symptoms of food poisoning are typically nausea and diarrhea, but it can even cause fever, muscle fatigue, and paralysis in the more extreme cases.

When you are preparing food at home, there are a number of steps that you can take to avoid sickening yourself and your loved ones. Here is a quick look at methods you can adapt to protect yourself from catching these food-borne illnesses.

Botulism. The bacterial called botulism usually comes from canned goods. Therefore, be sure to not store food in cans once you have opened them. It is much smarter to switch the leftovers into a plastic container or plastic bag to keep botulism from growing in it. Also, as botulism may come on fresh foods like tomatoes and peppers, keeping these produce items refrigerated can help you. Additionally, serve the food still warm from its preparation.

Salmonella. Salmonella is another type of harmful bacteria that you can ingest. It tends to appear in raw items, such as eggs, meat, and unpasteurized milk. Therefore, make sure that you cook your foods thoroughly, and stay away from foods that have "hidden" raw ingredients, such as raw eggs in Caesar salad dressing. Also, salmonella is easily transferable from item to item, so try not to cross-contaminate while cooking. Use one cutting board and knife for meat, and another for your vegetables.

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