Family Matters Newsletter - March 2007

Keeping healthy foods safe

Jane K. Frobose, Colorado State University Extension - Denver County

Spinach, strawberries, lettuce - are they safe to eat?

Fruits and vegetables are reported to be responsible for more large-scale food-borne illness outbreaks than meat, poultry or eggs. Growing recognition of environmental hazards for human health has created concern and confusion about the safety of nutritious food.

What to do?

Fresh produce provides many of the nutrients your child needs to grow healthy and strong. These health benefits far outweigh any risk of contracting a food-borne illness. There are food safe steps you can take to protect your family. Clean, Chill, Cook, Separate

Clean

Cleanliness is a major factor in eliminating the risk of harmful bacteria. Wash hands properly with warm water and soap for 20 seconds, especially after you use the bathroom and before you prepare or eat a meal. Be sure to wash your hands before and after handling raw meat, poultry, egg or fish products.

Scrub all fruits and vegetables with plain water, even if you plan to peel, to remove any pesticide residue or dirt that could contain harmful bacteria. Wash melon, particularly cantaloupes and watermelons, before eating to avoid carrying bacteria from the rind to the knife to the inside of the fruit. Remove the outer leaves of leafy greens such as spinach or lettuce. Do not buy fruit with broken skin. Bacteria can enter through the cracks and contaminate the fruit. Avoid un-pasteurized ciders or juices.

Chill

Check the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer. The refrigerator should be set for 40 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius). The freezer should be set to 0 degrees Fahrenheit (-18 degrees Celsius) or lower. If your refrigerator does not have a thermostat, it is a good idea to invest in a thermometer for the refrigerator and for the freezer. Check the temperatures weekly.

Refrigerate or freeze perishables, prepared foods and leftovers within two hours of purchase or sooner. Leftovers can be "planned-overs," but do plan to eat refrigerated leftovers within three to five days and frozen leftovers within two months.

Put meat, poultry and fish in separate plastic bags so that their juices do not get on other foods. Store at the bottom of your refrigerator. Keep eggs in the original carton on a shelf in your refrigerator (not in the door). Freeze, or cook, raw meat, poultry or fish within two days. Store raw ground meats in the freezer for a maximum of four months and cooked meats for a maximum of three months. Never defrost food at room temperature, always thaw food in the refrigerator.

Cook

Food safety experts agree that properly cooking foods will help reduce the risk of harmful bacteria in foods. A clean, accurately calibrated thermometer that measures the internal temperature of cooked foods is the only way to know if "is it done yet?" Cook meat until the center is no longer pink and the juices run clear. Poultry should be cooked to a temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Leftovers should be re-heated thoroughly to at least 165 degrees.

Never serve foods that contain raw eggs, such as uncooked cookie dough, eggnog, mousse or homemade ice cream. If you want to use these recipes, substitute pasteurized eggs for raw eggs.

Separate

Separate raw meat products from other foods in your grocery shopping cart and in your refrigerator. Never place cooked food on a plate which has held raw meats of any kind.

Use two different cutting boards, one for raw meat products and another for fruits, vegetables and other foods that will be served raw. Wash any cutting board well before and after using. Sanitize with a solution of 1 tablespoon unscented, liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of water. Flood the surface with the solution; allow it to stand for a few minutes. Rinse with clear water and air dry or pat dry with clean paper towels. Replace all cutting boards regularly.

For more food safe tips or food storage information, call the Colorado State University Extension office in your county, or visit www.ext.colostate.edu and review Nutrition Resources, Food Safety Fact Sheets.

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Safety Tips

  • Use gates at top and bottom of stairs and safety devices on windows.
  • Make sure window covering cords are out of the reach of children. Cut the ends so that they are not connected in a loop.
  • Get down on the floor to make sure your child's play area is safe.
  • Check the batteries in your smoke detector.
  • Cover all electrical outlets with safety covers.
  • Make sure electrical cords are out of the reach of children.
  • Keep plastic bags out of the reach of all children.
  • Put child safety latches on doors and drawers that are within young children's reach.
  • Lock up firearms, poisons and medicines.

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Calcium

Only about half of children 5 years and under get enough calcium in their diets. Getting too little calcium may lead to health problems such as fragile bones that can break or fracture with very little stress. Other effects such as osteoporosis may not show up until much later in life.

Calcium also keeps teeth and gums healthy. It helps resist tooth decay and promotes prevention against gum disease. Here are some helpful tips to help you and your family get enough calcium every day:

  • Always keep low-fat or fat-free milk and dairy products in the house) for kids age two and older).
  • Serve milk at all meals and at snack time.
  • Learn to read food nutrition labels with your children to learn the calcium, fat, and other nutritional content in foods.
  • Make and serve a salad with dark, green leafy vegetables, such as spinach.
  • Top salads, soups and stews of fresh vegetables with low-fat shredded cheese.
  • Use flavored yogurts as a topping for fruit for dessert.
  • Top baked potato with yogurt or low-fat sour cream.
  • Add tofu made with calcium to stir fry and other dishes.

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