With the American food supply being controlled and mandated by large corporations, food safety has seemed to decrease in recent years. It seems you can hardly go a week without hearing about a new recall due to E.Coli, Salmonella, or other foodborne illness. Many of these food poisoning outbreaks are much more serious than a simple stomach ache, and could include death.
While producing all of your own food may not be an option, there are other ways to help protect your food supply. By simply avoiding certain foods or being extra cautious in their preparation, you can help your family avoid food poisoning illnesses. Included here are a few of the foods most likely to cause food poisoning in your family and how to avoid the illness.
Beef and Poultry
Topping the list with the most frequent outbreaks of foodborne illness are beef and poultry. The conditions cows and chickens are raised in foster a breeding ground for bacteria and disease. Often, these risky bacteria are not killed in the processing plant and go on to be distributed to grocery stores and fast food chains everywhere. This has led to countless recalls as well as outbreaks of illness from food purchased at fast food chains.
When preparing beef and poultry at home, it is incredibly important that you maintain a sanitary kitchen area and wash all areas the uncooked food touches. For example, if you open the chicken package in the sink so the juices can run out, you must scrub out the sink and sanitize it before preparing anything else in there. Follow safe cooking procedures to make sure your beef and poultry are fully cooked before consuming.
Leafy Greens
The exact health food that doctors recommend you consume could be harboring a potentially deadly virus. Many of the pre-washed and bagged varieties of leafy greens have been found to harbor E.Coli bacteria that leads to serious illness. To prevent infection, it is best to buy bunches of leafy greens and clean them yourself. Additionally, growing a pot of greens in your kitchen window can help you manage the production of your produce from seed to salad.
Eggs
Salmonella has long been a concern in relation to undercooked eggs. While some of the infection can come from the outside of the shell, much of the Salmonella virus is found within the egg, before the shell even formed. To prevent illness, avoid eating raw or undercooked eggs, and consider rinsing the exterior of your egg with hot water before breaking it. Most outbreaks of illness occur in restaurants or commercial kitchens.
Tuna
Surprisingly, tuna fish contain more dangerous compounds than just mercury. Because tuna begins to decay soon after being caught, eating tuna can lead to scombroid poisoning. To protect yourself, be sure to eat only the highest quality tuna raw, and make sure it is fully cooked in all other instances.
Originally posted on June 16, 2016 @ 9:33 pm
