Contaminated food and food poisoning: how to avoid being sick

The food we eat could be contaminated with potentially dangerous bacteria for our health. Here's how our refrigerator should be safely managed and how we should wash and store the foods we eat. Particular attention should also be dedicated to cooking. Here are the things we must do to avoid food poisoning.

Our food can be contaminated by bacteria that can be the triggering cause of potentially dangerous diseases for our health, from Escherichia Coli to Salmonella through listeria monocytogenes, so here is how we must learn to manage what we eat to avoid feeling sick.

Subjects at risk. First of all, it must be said that the people most at risk are the elderly ones and those who have a weak immune system, such as pregnant women and even newborns. “Listeriosis outbreaks are often associated with ready-to-eat and chilled foods such as cured meats, soft cheeses, milk or other dairy products. However, we must be careful".

The golden rules for safe eating.

Clean well. Always sanitize the places where we store the product and kitchen utensils (cutlery, plates, containers and cutting boards on which we put a lot of food). We also have to wash well our hands after touching fruit and vegetables and change rags, which can collect huge amounts of bacteria and become dangerous.

Be careful with the refrigerator. It may seem insignificant, but there is a precise way in which it is advisable to place the food in the refrigerator and you can find it in the instructions for use. In general, it is also advisable to prefer glass containers for leftovers and not to leave them in the pans in which we have prepared them. Also avoid putting hot or warm dishes in the refrigerator because they increase the internal temperature and, and remember to clean the refrigerator regularly.

Be careful with fruit and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables must always be washed carefully before being consumed, for example by dipping them in water with a teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate for 15 minutes. Never freeze food after washing it: contaminating pathogenic bacteria could develop for the rest of the food in the refrigerator. Store fruit and vegetables in drawers.

Preserved meat. The meat should always be stored in bags and in the lower shelves (above the vegetables) and it should not be cleaned with water. Pay attention to the expiration date.

Wash the fish. The disemboweled and clean fish should be washed under running water and then thoroughly dried, stored in an airtight container at the bottom of the refrigerator and then it should be consumed within 24 hours.

Eggs and dairy products. Never keep dairy products and eggs in the refrigerator without putting them in special containers. The eggs, for example, must not be put into the door, where we are used to putting them, because the opening causes temperature changes that could be harmful.

Cook well. As for cooking food, the advice is always to bring them to temperatures above 120 degrees to make sure to eliminate the spores.