Diet is an important part of the process for anyone serious about losing weight and getting in shape, however in all the details about what to eat, when to eat and what not to eat, there is little time given to the element of food safety. As the temperatures go up more and more people will get sick from food poisoning. The bad part is that if you are eating several meals throughout the day with most of those meals consisting of high protein foods, then you do indeed run a very high risk of getting sick if you are not careful with your food preparation and storage. According to the Center for Disease Control an estimated 76 million cases of food borne disease occur each year in the U.S. with most of them being rather mild cases and cause symptoms that last for a day or two. However many are life threatening and the CDC estimates that there are 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths related to food borne diseases each year.
Food safety is a big issue for me, mainly because had a serious run in with food poisoning about 15 years ago and it changed my life forever. I had eaten some Chinese food (steamed vegetables and chicken) and got so sick afterwards that I woke up the next day in the hospital weighing a full 17 lbs less than I was the day before! Needless to say that was a serious wake up call for me, as too this day I still don’t remember being brought over in the ambulance. After that ordeal I promised myself that I would learn everything there was about food safety to ensure that there would not be a recurrence- and so far so good- which is quite an accomplishment for someone that eats 6 plus times a day! I also worked for 14 years as the director of the recreation and food programs for both HIV/AIDS and formerly homeless populations, and since I was responsible for sometimes preparing and handling food, I had to get extensive food handling certification. When working with individuals with compromised immune systems, what might give someone else a bad day can end up costing them their lives! That being said, I would like to pass on some very important tips for you this summer to make sure that you stay bacteria free this summer and all year round!
Rule 1: Keep Hot Foods Hot and Cold Foods Cold!
If I was asked what is the best overall rule of thumb for food safety, I would have to go with this one. It is so important if you are carrying food with you during the day that you keep it at the appropriate temperature. If you cook something fresh and need to eat it several hours later I would suggest that you invest in a thermos that is big enough for you to fit your food into. You can also use your thermos to keep foods cold that may have been refrigerated- just be sure to wash your thermos by hand after each use and check to see that there are no cracks before you put your food inside. That way you have a safe way of carrying your food around with you during the day!
Rule 2: Wash Your Hands Properly Before You Eat!
Most people don’t wash their hands properly. Next time you wash your hands check how many seconds you spend doing it. If you are like 99% of the population, you probably spend 10 seconds or less and that is no where near long enough to remove germs and bacteria. I can hardly tell you how much of a difference it makes if you routinely clean your hands before eating or handling your food. You have to wash with hot water and soap (any kind will do- it doesn’t have to be antibacterial) for at least 30 seconds to really get the germs off. If you wash for less time, all you are doing is getting the germs nice and wet-which really doesn’t do anything at all. A good guide is to sing the Happy Birthday song twice while washing your hands. That will make sure you spend just enough time to wash your hands properly. If not around a water source, you can use a hand sanitizer or alcohol swabs, just don’t assume that your hands are clean and just eat.
Rule 3: Get a Thermometer For Your Refrigerator!
Bacteria exist everywhere and you cannot get away from them. Under certain conditions like when they have moisture, and favorable temperatures, they grow very quickly, increasing in numbers to the point where some types of bacteria can make you sick. Pathogenic bacteria (the ones that can make you really sick) grow most rapidly in the range of temperatures between 40 and 140 °F, with some forms being able to double in number in as little as 20 minutes. To minimize the growth of bacteria in a any unit the temperature must be kept at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or less. Unfortunately, while we humans can do a pretty good job of saying whether something is hot or cold, we cannot tell the difference between 45 degrees or 40 degrees, and that difference could make a very big difference. Don’t leave temperature regulation to simple guesswork, invest in a thermometer for your fridge and you might be surprised that it isn’t always at the best temperature to keep your cold foods cold! By the way any perishable foods kept at temperatures above 40 °F for more than 2 hours should never be consumed.
Rule 4: Understand The Nature of Pathogenic Bacteria!
There is a saying that you must always know your enemies if you ever wish to enjoy any type of security in life and the same applies to potentially harmful bacteria. Most of us simply don’t know enough about it and it is that very lack of knowledge that gets people killed each year. You need to be informed as our basic senses are not enough to tell whether food is safe or not. Microscopic organisms are unseen by the naked eye and foods don’t have to smell badly to make you sick. Many mistakenly base their food safety practice on the idea that if the food doesn’t have a bad smell or taste that all is well. Unfortunately that simply is not the case. There are two different types of bacteria: pathogenic bacteria, the kind that cause serious illness, and spoilage bacteria, which makes food spoil and develop unpleasant smells and tastes. Spoilage bacteria won’t kill you. As strange as it may sound for most of us, eating food that has an odor or that is ‘spoiled’ won’t do much under normal circumstances as the bacteria present is mostly benign. People eat spoiled milk every day, (it’s called cheese or yogurt) and even meats can be consumed safely in a state of decay as evidenced in many survival situations. This type of bacteria thrives in lower temperatures- which is why food begins to rot when in the refrigerator for too long. Pathogenic bacteria however is a different story. When foods remain at a higher temperature between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, this potentially deadly form of bacteria can proliferate. The bad part is that they are completely odorless and you cannot tell that they are present by the way the food tastes, looks or smells- which is why it can be so dangerous. That is why it is so important that you always keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold.
Rule 5: Use A Bleach Solution to Clean Up
Whenever you handle meats, you should have a bottle with a bleach solution to disinfect surfaces that come into contact with meats in addition to washing with hot soapy water. You only need 1 tablespoon of bleach per quart of water to make an effective germ killer and it is a cheap and effective means of killing bacteria (it is actually how our water supply is kept safe everyday). More expensive cleaners with a variety of perfumed scents only make the germs smell nice for a while, but do nothing to kill them. most are surprised to learn that the majority of cleaning solutions that you will find on the supermarket shelves are ineffective against the very bacteria that can make us really sick. So forget about the fragrances and stick with bleach- the plain variety that is, as the scented forms may have added chemicals that may not be appropriate for use around food utensils.
Rule 6: When Eating Out- Be An Educated Consumer
Here is an important point: when you go out to eat, you don’t have to eat what is in front of you if it is not cooked the way you like it. Restaurants have an obligation to prepare your foods to your specifications- that is part of the contract. Therefore when eating out, if the food is supposed to be served hot and is only lukewarm when you get it, or hot on the outside, but only warm on the inside, then send it back. It might sound like you are being a pain, but the reality is that you need to look out for your health, and if you are paying for your food, it should be paying only for food that is safe to eat. Also understand what I call the ‘you were asking for it’ clause. If you go to a dive and order sushi- and get sick- you were asking for it! The same goes for most fast food restaurants or unlicensed street vendors. Beware also of buffet bars- they are notorious for having food not kept at the appropriate temperatures, especially the ones that have a low food turnover rate.
I don’t eat anywhere without first checking to see what their inspection records are like. Here in New York you can access years of reports for any restaurant in the metropolitan area and you should! Very often you will be surprised by the results. Sadly, while this information is public domain, few people ever think to check out the inspection records of the places they frequent, often to their detriment. Some of the most upscale establishments have horrible health reports, with foods not kept at proper temperatures and vermin infestation. Everything looks great in the dining room area, but you really won’t know what is going on in the kitchen where your food is being prepared if you don’t check the reports. You can get the NY area reports here and most other states have similar information portals from their Department of Health websites. I invite everyone to take a look to see how well or how poorly the places you frequent are rated. The results may be eye opening!
I hope these tips help you stay safe and healthy and I wish everyone a happy and illness free summer!
Kevin Richardson is the creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training™ a lifetime natural bodybuilder and founder of Naturally Intense Personal Training NYC. Get a copy of his free weight loss ebook here.
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