{"id":5662,"date":"2019-04-22T12:23:54","date_gmt":"2019-04-22T12:23:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/?p=5662"},"modified":"2021-06-03T23:55:34","modified_gmt":"2021-06-03T23:55:34","slug":"14-prevention-tips-to-protect-yourself-from-salmonella","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/14-prevention-tips-to-protect-yourself-from-salmonella\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Prevention Tips to Protect Yourself From Salmonella"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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When it comes to intestinal infections, salmonella poisoning is the second most common cause in the United States. Over 7000 cases of salmonella are reported each year. However, most cases of this illness are not reported. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that there are over a million people in the United States contract salmonella every year and that there are over 20,000 hospitalizations caused by salmonella and nearly 400 deaths occur as a result of salmonella. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salmonella typically occurs because a person eats food that is contaminated with feces of humans or animals who carry the bacteria. Meat, poultry, and eggs are common culprits. However, fruits and vegetables can also become contaminated with bacteria. Fortunately, there are several things that you can do in order to prevent salmonella poisoning. Here are 8 prevention tips to use to protect yourself against this bacteria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Hand Washing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Washing your hands is extremely important for many reasons. When you are touching different surfaces your hands can carry around the dirt and germs <\/a>that are in these areas. It is especially important to wash your hands before you handle any type of food. If you are handling raw food such as meat, eggs, vegetables, or fish it is important to make sure that you wash your hands after handling any type of food. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make sure that you are also washing your hands after going to the bathroom, after you touch the garbage can, after blowing your nose, and after touching any animals. When you wash your hands it is important to make sure that you use soap and warm water. Make sure that you scrub the soap in between all of your fingers and that you rinse them thoroughly. You should wash for at least 20 seconds each time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. Washing Work Surfaces<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When you are preparing food, not only should you be washing your hands before working with the food that you are making, but you also should make sure that you are washing your worktops thoroughly. The work surface should be clean before you begin preparing the food. In addition, you should clean the work surface after it has been touched by any type of raw meat<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This included poultry and raw eggs, and any type of fish. It is also important to make sure that the work surface is cleaned after cutting up vegetables. It is not necessary to clean the surface with an antibacterial spray. Instead, simply use some warm soapy water to clean the surface well. Keeping the work area clean is an important and effective way to help protect yourself from salmonella as well as other types of foodborne illnesses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3. Clean Dishcloths<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It is important to make sure that you are using dishcloths or towels that have been cleaned thoroughly. After you use a dishcloth to clean up a mess or to clean your work surface or even to dry your hands on, it is important to make sure that you throw it in the wash. Do not continue to use the towel to clean up other messes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you do, you are going to simply spread the bacteria<\/a> to other areas. In addition, leaving a dirty and damp cloth lying around provides a great place for germs to spread. You do not want to create a breeding ground for bacteria as this can cause you to get very sick. Stock up on a large supply of dish towels so that you can use a new one each time that you want to clean up a mess. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Use Separate Cutting Boards<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When you are purchasing items for your kitchen, it is important to have at least two or three cutting boards at your disposal. The reason for this is because you should never use the same cutting board to cut up raw meat and other ready to eat items. Raw foods can contain many harmful bacteria. These bacteria can be found in any type of raw food before it is cooked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using separate cutting boards for all of your types of food can help to prevent the chance of cross-contamination<\/a>. This is important as you do not want bacteria to get on food, especially food that is not going to be fully cooked. While cooking food can help to kill the bacteria, food that is not cooked to temperature that is prepared on a contaminated cutting board can cause a person to become seriously ill. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5. Separate Raw Meats<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It is very important to make sure that you keep any raw meat away from any food that is ready to eat. For example, if you are having a salad <\/a>with your dinner, make sure that the raw meat does not come anywhere near the salad mix. It should be kept away from bread and fruit as well. The reason for this is because these types of foods are not going to be cooked before they are eaten. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If they are touched by the raw meat or prepared on the same surface like raw food, the bacteria that gets onto the foods from the raw meat is not going to be killed during a cooking process. This means that the foods are contaminated and that they can make you sick. While not all bacteria is going to make you ill, but it is not worth the risk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6. Storing Meat<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Many people do not realize the importance of where they store their meat in the refrigerator. You should never place meat on the top shelf. The reason for this is because if the meat <\/a>is stored above other foods it can drip onto the other foods that are below it. Raw meat should always be stored on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you store the meat on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator it will not touch any of the other food in the refrigerator. It also will not be able to drip on the other food that you are storing in your refrigerator. It is also important to keep the fridge temperature below 5 degrees Celsius. Make sure that you check the temperature of your fridge often using a thermometer made for refrigerators. Keeping your fridge at this temperature will help to prevent bacteria from growing and spreading. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7. Cooking Food Thoroughly<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the most important things that you can do in order to protect yourself from salmonella <\/a>is to make sure that you are cooking your foods thoroughly. Any pork, burgers, poultry, kebabs, and sausages should all be cooked thoroughly. Make sure that you cook them until they are steaming hot and there should not be any pink meat inside. It is also important to make sure that you do not wash any raw meat before you cook it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This includes turkey and chicken. Washing these meats before you cook them can actually spread the bacteria throughout your kitchen. It is best to simply keep the chicken contained in one area and make sure that you cook it thoroughly. Freezing raw chicken can help to reduce the levels of campylobacter bacteria. However, it does not eliminate this bacteria completely. One of the best ways to make sure that all traces of campylobacter bacteria is to make sure that your chicken is cooked thoroughly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8. Cool Leftovers Quickly<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another way to protect yourself from salmonella <\/a>is to make sure that you are putting cooked food away quickly. If you make food that you are not going to eat right away, make sure that you let it cool as fast as possible, within 90 minutes of it being cooked. Once it has cooled cover the dish and place it in the freezer or in the refrigerator. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is important to use any leftovers placed in the fridge within two days. When it comes to eating foods, two days is a good rule for most leftover foods. In addition, it is important to make sure that you do not eat food that is past its use-by date. Even if the food seems to look and smell okay, it is best to not eat it as it could be contaminated. The use-by date is a date that is based on tests that show how fast harmful bacteria can develop in packaged foods. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\r\n

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