Health News

Memorial Day Weekend marks the unofficial start of the summer season and is usually spent outside enjoying the nice weather. Picnics and barbeques are common during this holiday weekend, but you don’t want to make your holiday memorable by getting food poisoning. With the recent outbreak of E.coli in romaine lettuce take the necessary precautions to keep you and your family safe during the holiday weekend and summer.

A good way to make sure you don’t get food poisoning is by making sure your food is grilled like a P.R.O!

• P= Place the Thermometer! Place the food thermometer into the thickest part of the meat
• R= Read the Temp! Wait about 10-20 seconds for the temperature to be accurately displayed. Foods must reach the safe internal temperatures for safety (typically 140^◦ F or above)
• O= Off the Grill! Once the meat is at a safe temperature, take it off the grill.
• Now for cold food you want to make sure you avoid the Danger Zone! The Danger Zone is the temperature range in which bacteria can grow faster, between 41°F and 135°F. To stay clear of the Danger Zone make sure you keep cold food at or below 41^◦ F by keeping the food in a refrigerator, in coolers, or on ice. Also, limit the time coolers are open and do not leave the coolers in direct sunlight

General food safety tips include:

• Wash your hands and surfaces often. Germs that cause food poisoning can survive in many places and spread around your kitchen. Wash your utensils, cutting boards, and countertops with hot, soapy water.
• Do not cross-contaminate food preparation areas. Use separate cutting boards and plates for raw meat, poultry, and seafood.

Food poisoning occurs when you eat poorly handled food that can be contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins, or other substances. The symptoms of food poisoning include nausea, fever, vomiting, stomach cramps, and diarrhea. These symptoms can occur hours after eating the contaminated food and can last for serval hours or even days. If you have symptoms of food poisoning, you should contact your healthcare provider. For more information visit, https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/keep-food-safe.html

Every 8 seconds someone is hurt in a car crash. Distractions can last a lot longer than people realize. Even hands-free is dangerous because our brains remain distracted by the conversation. Do not become a statistic. Check out some lifesaving tips below:

• First and foremost, turn off your cell phone. There is no safe way to make a call while driving – not even hands-free.
• Send and read text messages and email before you start driving.
• If you are going on a longer drive, schedule breaks to stop, park safely, and respond to messages.
• Put your destination into your GPS so you do not need to touch it while the car is moving.
• Social media can wait. NO update, tweet, of video is worth a life.
• Do not call or text friends or family if you know they are driving.

#justdrive and learn more at http://www.nsc.org/justdrive

National Nutrition Month is celebrated every March which focuses on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. The theme for 2018 is “Go Further with Food” which encourages everyone to prepare meals in advance to enjoy throughout the week. Planning and cooking meals in advance can help reduce food loss and waste. Below are some tips to save you time and money by preparing your meals ahead.

• Look in the refrigerator, freezer, and pantry first for foods that need to be used up.
• Find recipes that use those ingredients.
• Buy the amount of food that can be eaten or frozen with a few days.
• Place foods that spoil quickly within sight.
• Eat leftovers within 3 to 4 days (or freeze for up to 3 to 4 months).
• Store produce properly.
• Be mindful of portion sizes-focus of feeling satisfied instead of stuffed.

For more information visit, https://www.eatright.org/food/resources/national-nutrition-month/national-nutrition-month-celebration-toolkit