| Food makes the holidays more festive. At | | | | you taste food.13. Clear leftover food |
| this time of year you enjoy family dinners, | | | | quickly and refrigerate.AT WORK1. Ask a |
| church potlucks, office parties, buffet | | | | knowledgable person to be in charge.2. |
| lunches, cookie exchanges, and cups of cheer. | | | | Refrigerate donated food immediately.3. Wash |
| Gifts are exchanged, too, and food poisoning | | | | hands before handling food. (Buy several |
| is the "gift" you don't want.Though it's | | | | bottles of hand sanitizer.)4. Label foods so |
| relatively rare in the US, food poisoning can | | | | people know what they're eating.5. Tell |
| happen to anyone, according to MedlinePlus. | | | | people if food contains nuts or soy.6. Serve |
| That doesn't mean much if you're the one who | | | | food in small batches, not all at once.7. |
| gets it. You may get food poisoning at home | | | | Keep mayonnaise-based foods icy cold.8. Keep |
| or while traveling. Each year 60-80 million | | | | hot foods really hot.9. Don't leave food out |
| (that's MILLION) people around the globe get | | | | for more than two hours.10. Provide clean |
| food poisoning.If you've had food poisoning | | | | storage containers for leftovers. Write the |
| you know it's awful, so awful you thought you | | | | food and date on all containers.11. Discard |
| were going to die. Some people do die. The | | | | food that hasn't been refrigerated for more |
| FDA says food poisoning is especially | | | | than four hours.AT A RESTAURANT1. Check to |
| threatening to kids five years old and | | | | see if food handlers are wearing plastic |
| younger, and the elderly. E.coli can cause | | | | gloves.2. Find out if the food handlers are |
| hemolyptic uremic syndrome, which can lead to | | | | handling money. (Money is often contaiminaed |
| kidney damage and, in some cases, death.The | | | | with human feces.)3. Is there a cough shield |
| symptoms of food poisoning are nasty: nausea, | | | | over the food table?4. Skip the salad bar if |
| vomiting, diarrhea, fever, headaches, and | | | | the ingredients aren't on ice.5. Check to see |
| weakness. Food poisoning strikes within | | | | if the restaurant has a clean plate policy |
| two-to-four hours after eating contaminated | | | | for additional servings of salad.6. Don't eat |
| food and it can last as long as 10 days. | | | | salad dressing that's in open bowls on the |
| Prevetion is the best defense against food | | | | table.7. Make sure hot food is kept in |
| poisoning.Mayo Clinic, in an Internet article | | | | warming pans, kettles, and hot plates.8. Each |
| called "Serve it Up Safe: 8 Ways to Prevent | | | | dish should have its own serving spoon or |
| Food-Bourne Illness," lists some prevention | | | | fork.9. Servers should bring buffet foods out |
| tips, such as washing linens often and | | | | in small batches.10. Does the menu say all |
| washing equipment, including your meat | | | | beef will be cooked to medium temperature?11. |
| thermometer, in hot, soapy water. To be in | | | | Hamburgers should be cooked until the |
| the safe side, the article says you should | | | | internal temperature is 160 degrees.12. Write |
| reheat leftovers to an internal temperature | | | | the food and date on your doggie bag |
| of 165 degrees.Practice safe food handling | | | | box."Everyone is at risk for foodbourne |
| during the holidays. Unsure about what to | | | | illness," according to the FDA's Food Safety |
| do? The USDA Food and Safety Inspection | | | | Education Website. That makes food safety |
| Service has published a colorful booklet | | | | your business. Call the local public health |
| called "Cooking for Groups." You'll find the | | | | department if you see unsafe food practices. |
| booklet on You'll find additional | | | | And follow the FDA's advice during the |
| information on And follow these tips to keep | | | | holidays: When in doubt throw it |
| your tummy safe during the holidays.AT HOME1. | | | | out!Copyright 2005 by Harriet Hodgson. To |
| Wash your hands well before handling food.2. | | | | learn more about her work go to Hodgson has |
| Use paper or cloth dishcloths, not sponges.4. | | | | been a nonfiction writer for 27 years and is |
| Separate raw foods from ready-to-eat foods.5. | | | | a member of the Association of Health Care |
| Store washed produce in a different | | | | Journalists. Before she became a health |
| container, not the original.6. Keep cold | | | | writer she was a food writer for the former |
| foods at 40 degrees or less.7. Keep hot foods | | | | "Rochester Magazine," in her hometown of |
| at 140 degrees or more.8. Double-bag leaking | | | | Rochester, MN. Her 24th book, "Smiling |
| meat and poultry packages or seal them in | | | | Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief," |
| plastic wrap.9. Thaw meat and poultry in the | | | | written with Lois Krahn, MD, is available |
| refrigerator, not on the counter.10. NEVER | | | | from A five-star review of the book is also |
| eat frozen meat, poultry or fish that has | | | | posted on Amazon. The book is packed with |
| been thawed and refrozen.11. Check internal | | | | Healing Steps - 114 in all - that lead |
| temperature of meat and poultry with a | | | | readers to their own healing path. |
| thermometer.12. Use a clean spoon every time | | | | |