Use These Tips to Make Your Food Safer to Eat

You can never be too cautious and safe when it comes to germs and your food. I think the saying, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" says everything you need to know about keeping your food safe from bacteria and more importantly keeping you safe from it. Food bacteria is what causes food poisoning and sometimes even worse diseases which why it is so important to prevent the spread and growth of these dangerous microorganisms in our food.

What makes it so difficult to fight the things that cause disease such as germs, dust, dirt and bacteria is because they are everywhere. They can be on your hands, clothes, utensils and food before you even get it home. Eating food contaminated with bacteria is a major problem that many of us just are not aware of. We can easily solve this problem just by regularly cleaning and keeping our hands, food and kitchen clean. Here are a few ways you can prevent your food from becoming contaminated.

• Be selective – You want to make sure you buy produce that is fresh and not bruised or damaged. There is nothing wrong with going through the egg cartons to check and see if any eggs are cracked. You want to buy your meat or fish from a clean counter. Don't buy any cans that appear to be bulging or dented. The same holds true for jars. Stay away from ones that are cracked or that have loose or bulging lids. If you’re in the mood for some fresh-cut produce, buy ones refrigerated or surrounded by ice.



• Pack it up – As you’re getting checked out, offer to bag your groceries yourself this way you can be sure that your fresh fruits and vegetables are bagged separately from meat, poultry, or any seafood products. If you live a good distance away from your favorite grocery store, keep an ice chest in the back seat o r trunk to store any frozen or perishable items for the ride home. If using an ice chest for groceries doesn’t seem like something you are willing to try, another solution can be to keep your groceries in an air-conditioned area instead of the trunk, which has zero air-conditioning.



• Keep the kitchen clean – Make sure everything is cleaned properly and thoroughly after every use. Clean up any cutting boards, countertops, refrigerator, pots, and utensils in hot, soapy water, especially if they’ve been used with raw meat, poultry, and seafood.



• Check cutting boards – Your cutting boards should be clean and new looking. If they have any cracks in them, throw them away. Bacteria can build up over time in those cracks.



• Sanitize – It is recommended that you sanitizing your cutting boards, countertops, and kitchen sink drain using a mixture of one teaspoon of chlorine bleach to one quart of water. Wash all sponges and dishcloths at least once a week in hot water since they contain a plethora of bacteria. You can just throw them in the washing machine if you want.



• Store your food properly – As soon as your home from grocery shopping or done using food that needs to be refrigerated put them back away. The last thing you want is your perishable items sitting around at room temperature. Don't keep any foods near household chemicals or cleaning products of any kind. Don’t keep any items items that don't need to go in the refrigerator under the sink. Many chemicals are stored under there or water can be leaked on them from pipes.