Thursday, September 6, 2012

When you want it the most

Love comes to those who believe it!

I heard this song today at work, and I just had to make it the title for today's post.  No reason, just love the song!


Now for the really good stuff, food safety...In one of my nutrition classes, we are studying a chapter about food safety.  It amazes me how little many people (including myself) know about this topic.  I mean, we should all know it like the back of our hand because it is about keeping what fuels us as safe for us to consume as possible!

As you can see from the picture above, food safety is not all about just washing your fruits and vegetables.  It is about keeping them at appropriate temperatures and good personal hygiene as well!

Here are a few good tips to remember when handling any type of food (or just being near food for that matter):
1.  ALWAYS have freshly cleaned hands.  You can not wash your hands enough.  Wash after you go to the bathroom, after you handle meat, after changing a diaper, after handling pets (especially reptiles), and before touching any type of food whether it will be cooked or not.

2. Keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot.  The "Danger Zone" is between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit.  Please especially remember this for packing school and/or work lunches!  Soups need to be kept above 140 degrees and meats, dairy products, and mayonnaise-based salads and dips need to be kept colder than 40 degrees.  This danger zone is the range of temperatures in which most bacteria thrive!

3.  Never cut fruits and vegetables (raw or cooked) on the same cutting boards as meats.  Or just don't keep meat in your kitchen! My favorite option is to use a nice wooden cutting board for produce and plastic/glass for anything else.  This way, I always know my food is safe (and wood is porous so it would just soak up any of the bacteria...)

4.  Use a clean knife; rinse it before and after each time you cut a new item.

Well, that's all I can think of for now, do you have any food safety procedures you would like to add/share?

Luana ola!

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