Food Safe Moms-to-be

Enjoy fish but thoroughly cooked! 

Pregnancy is one of the most exciting times of life. During pregnancy immunity level is lower than usual hence there is increased risk foodborn illness. By keeping your food safe and kitchen clean with good hygiene practice you can reduce the risk of foodborn infections.

If Moms-to-be are Eating Out

First of all consider the cleanliness of the place then check what's on the menu. Select the food carefully and make sure the food you have ordered is thoroughly cooked and do not contain raw eggs, raw sprouts, under cook fish, poultry or meat. Do not order swordfish, tilefish, king mackerel and shark because of high methylmurcurry level.

Request that sprouts not be added to your food 

Don't forget to wash your hands before eating. Happy dining out!

When Mom-to-be are Cooking and Baking

Avoid half fried eggs

You have to cook the food thoroughly to make sure the food is safe to eat. Cook eggs until yolk and whites are firm. Cook scrambled eggs until they are firm throughout. Do not taste batter, dough or any other filling having raw eggs. Also avoid sauces, homemade mayonnaise and dressings having raw eggs. You can have commercial mayonnaise and dressing as they contain pasteurized eggs. Go for cheese made with pasteurized milk. 

Wash your fruits and vegetable under clean running water, gently scrub the surface if required. Pregnant women should be aware of Toxoplasma, a parasite found over unwashed fruits and vegetables, undercooked meat, water and dust. Avoid having raw sprouts. Use pasteurized juices and if you want to have fresh juice then do wash the produce even if your planning to peal it. 

Never taste undercooked marinade or sacuce that you used to marinate raw poultry, meat or sea food. Cut away the damaged and bruised area of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Enjoy safely cooked food.

Germs Residential Place In Kitchen

The survey has shown largest number of coliform containing good in the kitchen is the sponge. Pathogens, molds and yeasts can easily grow in the moist environment of sponges. Because of its granular structure sponge holds up tiny food particles with water hence provides nourishment to the germs too.

Its really difficult to avoid sponges as these are versatile and reusable cleaning tool in the kitchen. Following are the ways to prevent illness due to this kitchen germ harbor:

• Rinse the sponge with clean warm water after use. Squeeze it to expel absorbed water.
• Replace sponge every week.
• Microwave it for 60 sec, it kills 99.9999 percent of sponge bacteria.
• Wash it in dishwasher operating with a drying cycle, it kills 99.9998 percent bacteria.

Right way of keeping sponge in holder

Make sure your sponge holder have spaces to let go retained sponge water. Keep your sponges clean and dry; Stay food safe!

Source: ARS, the in-house research arm of USDA

First step towards food safety

The basic step for being a food safe individual is to wash your hands properly. Invisible germs on hands can contaminate the food that you or others eat. Teaching children about proper hand washing is an essential part of food safety but it is not always easy. Simple way of teaching kids about hygiene is to play hand washing games with them.

Wash your hands the right way.. for 20 seconds with soap and running water. To estimate 20 seconds of hand washing, singing a b c till z is one of the fun idea.

Good hand washing is the first line of defense against the spread of many communicable diseases and most type of infectious diarrhea.

Wondering when you should wash hands?

Wash hands before going in the fridge, after handling pets, arriving home from school, shopping, play; before and after handling raw and cooked food etc.

What to do if water is not available?

When soap and water are not available; sanitizers that contains minimum 60 percent alcohol can be good choice. For sanitizers to work, they have to air dry on hands instead of being dried of with towel.