Body and Mind

Tips for Avoiding Food Poisoning This Holiday Season

By Amy ⋅ December 18, 2007 ⋅  Email this post ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Subscribe By Email ⋅ Post a comment

With so many recent food recalls for E. coli and Salmonella, ranging from Topps meat to Banquet pot pies to Totino’s pizzas, you may be more concerned than usual this holiday season about helping your family avoid food poisoning. Some tips:

Don’t let kids eat raw eggs when baking holiday treats.

Kids love to eat raw cookie dough and lick the spoons when you’re making a cake, but anything made with raw eggs can give your kids Salmonella.

Follow safe cooking procedures when preparing your holiday meal.

Wash your hands after you handle meat, poultry or eggs before you touch any other food.

Wash your counters, sinks, and anyplace else the uncooked poultry came in contact with immediately.

Use separate cutting boards for meat and poultry than you use for other foods. Don’t dice your veggies on a cutting board you just used for your chicken or turkey. Realize that wood cutting boards absorb the meat or poultry juices, which may contaminate your other foods even if you wash them.

Wash utensils promptly before you use them on anything else. For example, the knife you use to cut chicken shouldn’t be used on your veggies without first thoroughly washing the knife in hot water with soap.

Cook your poultry well.

Turkeys should be cooked at a minimum of 325 degrees F. Cooking time will vary based on the size of your bird.

The inside of poultry should reach 165 degrees F.

Always use a meat thermometer when cooking poultry. Don’t rely on built-in pop-up thermometers that come with turkeys and chickens, because the breast gets cooked faster than the inside.

For optimum safety, use two thermometers. One thermometer should be placed in the innermost part of the thigh and wing, and the other in the thickest part of the breast, as these are the place that heat up to proper temperature last.

Don’t cook your stuffing inside the turkey. Stuffing should be cooked separately and should reach 165 degrees F.

You can read the USDA’s advice on properly cooking a turkey for more information:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Lets_Talk_Turkey/index.asp

Deal with leftovers promptly.

Your turkey shouldn’t be left out for very long after you’ve eaten. The longer you leave poultry out, the bigger risk you’re taking of your family getting salmonella from the leftovers.

Put your leftovers into wide, shallow containers so they cool thoroughly. Get them refrigerated within an hour.

Know the risks and symptoms of food poisoning.

E. coli and Salmonella are the most common types of food poisoning. Salmonella generally comes from poultry or uncooked eggs, while E. coli generally comes from beef or other cow meat. E. coli can also come from leafy greens, unpasteurized juice and milk.

E. coli infection usually starts with severe abdominal cramps followed by painful diarrhea (usually bloody). Vomiting may or may not occur, but there is generally no fever. Symptoms usually begin between 3-9 days after the contaminated food has been eaten, but some people experience symptoms within 24 hours. The symptoms can last a week. Healthy adults with normal immune systems often recover without hospitalization, but e. coli infection once spread to the bloodstream can cause a painful form of kidney failure (called Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome). HUS often kills children and the elderly.

Salmonella infection symptoms include sudden nausea, abdominal cramping, and bloody diarrhea with mucous, and fever. Vomiting may or may not occur. Other symptoms include headache, muscle ache and joint pain. Symptoms usually begin within 6-72 hours after the contaminated food has been eaten, and usually lasts 5-7 days. In rare cases, Salmonella can cause Reiterís Syndrome, a debilitating form of arthritis.

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