9 Must-Know Food Safety Rules to Keep Your Food Safe
Whether you cook meals for your family on the regular or make your first steps in the kitchen, food safety is an issue you should never ignore. From the germs crawling on the raw meat you just bought to the bacteria that hibernate on the veggies that lie deep inside your freezer, pathogens are all around us, waiting to wreak havoc on our gut from the very first bite. So, to avoid any food-borne diseases that could arise (and in honor of World Food Service Safety Month(1)), we rounded out nine food safety rules that you should always keep in mind. It turns out that washing our hands is just the beginning!
1. Cool Leftovers Before Storing Them
Chances are you've stored hot food in the fridge or freezer more times than you can count. While it's not the end of the world if you did, it's probably best to avoid doing that from now on for one main reason. Putting hot food in the fridge or freezer causes nearby food items to partially thaw and refreeze, which could be a health hazard. So, make sure your food is completely cool before you store it.
2. Thaw Foods Properly
Even though there are multiple ways to thaw food safely, defrosting isn’t actually a strong suit for many. But, it’s an easily acquired skill. So, to avoid microbes festering on your soon-to-be-consumed food, just practice the following rules:
• In the refrigerator
If the refrigerator is your thawing method of choice, place the frozen food in a container so that the juices don't touch other foods as they defrost. Also, know that one pound of frozen food takes 4-5 hours to thaw. So, plan accordingly.
• In cold water
If this is your thawing option, change the water every 30 minutes. Also note that it takes about half an hour for every pound of food to defrost. Opt for this method if you plan on cooking the food as soon as it's thawed.
• In the microwave
Most microwaves come with a particular defrosting setting. So, make sure you thaw your food according to the brand's instructions. Also, remember that this option is only safe if you plan on cooking the food immediately after thawing.
3. Keep an Eye Out for the Expiration Dates
Always look out for the dates written on the products you buy or have in store at home. Specifically, keep an eye out for the expiration date. If there's one food safety rule that you should live by is never to consume anything that's past this date.
Also, scan the product for its "best used by" date. This indication shows just how long a product can retain its peak freshness. Knowing this date will help you manage your pantry staples more efficiently and get the most out of them, both nutritionally and in terms of flavor.
4. Reheat Foods Properly
Reheating leftovers may seem like a menial task. But, truth be told, one wrong move and the microbes left behind during storage can multiply and cause food poisoning. To avoid such a bad-case scenario, make sure to reheat your food until it reaches 165◦F throughout. So, stir your leftovers frequently to distribute the heat evenly (especially if you're using the microwave). Also, never reheat your leftovers more than once.
5. Wash Hands Frequently
This is by far the easiest and most effective way to prevent germs from spreading. Washing your hands thoroughly before you handle your food can eliminate the bacteria you may carry, so they don't come into direct contact with your food. Warm, soapy water can also work wonders as it helps eliminate germs even faster. Also, don't forget to wash your hands after handling raw foods like eggs, fish, meat, and poultry, as they usually carry many pathogens that could spread to (and contaminate) other foods or items.
6. Keep Kitchen Surfaces Clean
Another easy way to keep your food safe is always having a clean kitchen. Make a habit out of disinfecting your kitchen every time a surface (i.e., counter, cutting board, etc.) comes into contact with raw food. This way, you'll prevent any germ cross-contamination between foods.
You can even turn kitchen cleaning into a fun family activity by encouraging kids to be part of this routine. Specifically, you can encourage them to identify the most common cross-contamination points in the kitchen (think door knobs, kitchen cabinets, light switch, etc.) and challenge them to keep them clean throughout the day by wiping the surfaces before they leave the room.
7. Separate Raw & Cooked Food
A common food safety tip that you should always keep in mind is to keep raw and cooked foods separate. In fact, you should never use the same surfaces or tools to handle raw and cooked food so that you avoid cross-contamination. Imagine chopping a piece of raw poultry on a chopping board and using the same board to slice the meat once it's cooked. All the microbes from the raw poultry will be transferred to the cooked meat due to the direct surface contact, and chances are you'll have a batch of food that's swarming with harmful microorganisms. The same principle applies to storage. So, ensure that raw and cooked food will never share the same space in your fridge.
8. Protect Food from Insects and Rodents
Animals like insects and small rodents carry all sorts of pathogens and can easily contaminate your food if they come into direct contact with it. So, make sure your fruits, veggies, or grains (fresh or freeze dried) are stored in air-tight containers, quart jars, or with moisture-absorbent packets.
9. Get the Heat Right
An essential part of cooking is ensuring the food you roast, bake, or fry reaches a high enough internal temperature to eliminate all pathogens before consumption. The only caveat is that this temperature is different for every food, and it can be a handful to remember each one by heart. Luckily, you can check this list(2) for more details on each fare.
An easy way to know whether your food has reached the recommended internal temperature is to invest in a cooking thermometer. This gadget will help you measure the temperature accurately, depending on your cooking style or goal (rare, medium, well done).
What are your go-to food safety tips? Let us know in the comments down below!
References:
November is National Diabetes Month
National Diabetes Month is observed in November every year in the U.S. The 2019 theme by the National Diabetes Education Program is “Take Diabetes to Heart,” with the partnership with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; the idea is to focus on the link between diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
This year’s theme raises the awareness of the possibility of developing heart disease for diabetes patients. 1 People with diabetes are twice likely to die from heart disease, stroke, or a heart attack than those without diabetes. Consistently high blood glucose levels over time damage your blood vessels and nerves controlling the heart functions.2
The Prevalence of Diabetes
Did you know that one out of 10 Americans have diabetes? That’s a whopping 30 million people. Another 84 million people have a high chance of developing type 2 diabetes.3 Diabetes causes more than 76,000 deaths every year and is the 7th leading cause of death in America.1
It is a chronic disease with severe consequences even when it is not fatal, as about 12 million people report to the ER every year due to complications that it causes, such as blindness, nerve damage, and kidney, and heart problems.2 The worst thing about diabetes is that more than half of people with diabetes are unaware and have not been diagnosed. This leaves them vulnerable to the gradual degradation of their health due to high levels of sugar in their blood. 3
History of the National Diabetes Month
Since diabetes tends to be overlooked, the National Diabetes Education Program named November as the National Diabetes Month. The event has been commemorated every year since 1975. The month is dedicated to promoting awareness of diabetes to the public.
The reason behind designating November as the National Diabetes Month is to increase your awareness on better ways of managing diabetes and lowering chances of being a stroke or a heart patient.
How to reduce your chances of having cardiovascular diseases if you have diabetes
- Have regular tests on your A1C, cholesterol levels, and blood pressure. Work with your doctor on how to manage them to the correct levels.
- Maintain a healthy lifestyle. Follow a healthy eating plan, and plan a regular exercise routine.
- Look for activities that will help manage your stress levels. Examples include: walking, running, practicing yoga, gardening, or even listening to your favorite music.
- Follow all the instructions given by your doctor concerning medications.
- Stop smoking or avoid the use of other tobacco products. If you’re struggling with addiction, seek help in rehabilitation centers.
Importance of having a National Diabetes Month
Managing diabetes is not easy. Awareness is vital in managing diabetes and preventing many other secondary life-changing events that diabetes causes, such as heart attacks, amputations, stroke, kidney-related problems, and vision loss.
Every year the chosen theme seeks to create awareness that diabetes can is manageable. Type I diabetes has no cure, but you can maintain healthy blood sugar levels and have a healthy lifestyle. Type II diabetes patients can potentially restrain it through proper diet and exercise. Even though they may still need medication, they may need far less if they take adequate care of themselves.
Taking part in November Diabetes Month brings you to the reality of being in a community with millions of other diabetics. Following on the previous year’s Diabetes Month, you will notice the encouragement from the various themes. Every theme is a reminder that proper nutrition is the primary way of managing diabetes, and it is a constant reminder that to avoid Type II diabetes, you need to maintain a healthy weight.
Preventing diabetes
The good news is that type II diabetes can is preventable by making lifestyle changes such as:
- Healthy eating: health care workers should encourage people to eat healthy by making them understand the benefits of healthy eating and having a regular exercise routine.
- Getting regular checkups: checking blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure.
- Making small changes: being active by taking the stairs and skip the elevator.
- Losing weight.
Spreading Awareness of the National Diabetes Month
The National Diabetes Education Program holds events and provides resources for those who want to educate others about diabetes on their website. The website has useful posts that can help to publicize the National Diabetes Month on social media. You can get other valuable tools, such as: free posters with cover images for Facebook and Twitter, predesigned posters, flyers, and announcements through the radio or television. The website also has webinars and videos with useful links to educative resources about diabetes. The resources are freely accessible and do not have copyright restrictions for health care professionals or people who seek to use it to educate their communities.
Community Outreach
The events run throughout the month to create a diabetics support network. The organizers will always make sure everyone who handles the patients is involved, because they are more aware of the challenges each patient face on a personal level.
Another main recommendation is that people with diabetes assemble a support group that will stand with them as they fight the disease. The support network is to make the work of health professionals easy when handling patients.
If you do not have diabetes, you are encouraged to be part of a support network that shares fact sheets on supporting patients and their family members. They also help diabetic students go through the challenges posed by diabetes in their student life and prepare a guide that makes you be a champion who reaches to a broader community on educating people about diabetes.
Final Thoughts
Although the National Diabetes Month is in November, it is essential to take care of your health all year long to reduce your risk and spread information on anything related to diabetes to others. With the right support and understanding from the community, managing diabetes is easier. Diabetes management is a daily challenge but worth the effort.
Mother Earth Products provides you healthy foods that can help you manage diabetes such as broccoli, cauliflower, peas ,sweet potatoes - among others. Head over and buy now.
References:
World Health Day Could Be The Excuse You Needed to Care For Your Health
Living life in the 21st century kinda sucks! From the dysfunctional relationships we've developed with our phones to the air we breathe (shocker, it's polluted!(1)), it often seems like the whole world is out to make us weaker by the day - both physically and mentally. What's worse, diseases that didn't exist a few decades ago (such as Ebola(2), the Zika virus(3), and even anorexia(4)) are making headlines due to their increasingly threatening nature, which means our health is on the line 24/7, especially if we're not careful.
But, the real question behind all these is: Why are we really in danger? Isn't public health a human right? More than that, don't we have a series of top-tier prevention and treatment methods at our disposal to cure what ails us? While the answer to these questions should be a profound “YES,” it's worth mentioning that almost half of the world's population has no access to the public health system; so, it looks like being healthy isn't always a given.
Specifically, according to the World Health Organization(5) (WHO), half of the people in the world don't receive the health services they need,which is shocking considering we live in an era of artificial intelligence. That's why it's time we embraced World Health Day and made such issues a thing of the past.
What is World Health Day?
Celebrated annually on April 7th, World Health Day(6) is a global initiative that aims to raise awareness on certain topics regarding health and longevity. Specifically, WHO and several other health organizations sponsor this series of events in an attempt to improve the quality of our lives any way they can, from informing people on how to eat, live, and exercise (among others) to influencing policy makers into changing the health system for the better.
So, on this day, the organizations involved in this initiative orchestrate a bunch of activities - conferences for health workers, educational meetings for young people, teenagers and kids and briefings for local politicians - in an attempt to inform everyone about the current status of the global health system. In some cases, they even set up easy access points where people can get tested for free.
Since 1995, the decision makers behind the celebration adopted a theme-centric approach to increase the celebration's dynamic. Each year, they pick a new theme to highlight as the year's priority area of concern. Some of the most important themes discussed in years prior include the “Emerging Infectious Diseases” in 1997, “Safe Motherhood” in 1998, “Antimicrobial Resistance” in 2011, and “Healthy Blood Pressure” in 2013.
This year's theme is “Universal Health Coverage” which means that for 2019, WHO and all affiliate organizations want to make sure every person in the world has access to high quality health services without suffering financial hardship, even if they live in very secluded areas. With this in mind, we can't help but wonder: Isn't World Health Day changing everyone's lives for the better?
Sickness Doesn't Discriminate Against/For Region
While many may think that WHO's goal for 2019 is to help developing and under-developed countries improve their public health system, the organization's job doesn't just end there. Due to the recent global financial crisis, thousands of people in many Western countries are struggling to make ends meet, often at the expense of their health.
That means that diseases that would otherwise go extinct are still running rampant as our fellow citizens don't have access to treatment, either through a doctor visit or vaccination. As a result, several diseases - measles, tuberculosis, and typhoid fever - are making a comeback, especially in overcrowded countries like China.
What does that mean? Well, you may think that catching a fatal disease is more of a third world problem, but guess what? Sickness doesn't discriminate against/for certain regions – which is why raising awareness on an improved worldwide health system is certainly something we should all work on.
Local Problem Today, Global Problem Tomorrow
Another way in which World Health Day is changing our lives for the better is by reminding us once again that everyone and everything on this planet is somehow connected. What does this mean? Well, we'll let the case of Zika virus(7) do the talking here.
You see, experts report that the mosquito borne illness was first identified in Uganda, Africa sometime during the 1940s. That was a long time ago, wasn't it? Fast forwarding to today, the decades-old virus not only hasn't gone extinct, but it is still going strong, having made its way to Polynesia and Brazil (remember the latest outbreak?).
With that in mind, it's easy to assume that a more efficient health system on Africa's behalf could have prevented the virus from spreading in the first place. But, since that didn't happen (and it still doesn't in many parts of the world), more and more people get infected by the virus. Caring just for our local health system is pretty short sighted because what may seem like a distant issue at the moment could turn out to be a not-so-distant problem in the near future.
Raising the Stakes Here, Raising the Stakes Everywhere
This year's theme is also making waves by urging the entire global health system to change to the core. Specifically, WHO and the other organizations supporting the celebration want health workers (especially those active in challenging environments) to educate patients on how to promote their health and advocate for their medical needs.
In doing so, the entire system gets an instant makeover, which means the market becomes more competitive. More than that, such positive changes are bound to come full circle back to us one way or the other. So, to put it simply, improving the conditions one hospital or patient at a time could have a positive impact on the efficiency of the global health system, meaning we're doing ourselves a favor in the long-term.
So, what do you think? Is this a cause worth fighting for? If so, we'd love to hear how you're going to celebrate National Health Day.
References:
- https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.estlett.8b00360
- https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/index.html
- https://www.cdc.gov/zika/
- https://www.mentalhealth.gov/what-to-look-for/eating-disorders/anorexia
- https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-health-day/world-health-day-2019/key-messages
- https://www.who.int/westernpacific/news/events/world-health-day
- https://www.who.int/emergencies/zika-virus/timeline/en/
