Health and eating right

Keep Your Produce Safe
September.25 2009

Now That we are in the National Food Safety Education Month is a great time to reinforce proper food-handling techniques at home. With fruits and vegetables playing such a big role in healthful eating, it is important to practice proper buying, storing and preparation techniques to ensure the safety of your food. Most health risks that are linked to produce can be eliminated with proper food preparation like thorough cleaning. Below are more tips from the American Dietetic Association on safely shopping for, storing and preparing your fresh produce.



If you go to a farmers’ market, go early to avoid produce that has been sitting out all day long.
Buy most produce in season when possible.
If you are not satisfied with the store's selection, ask the produce manager if there is more available.
Buy loose produce rather than packaged. You have more control over what you select.
Don't purchase produce with mold, bruises or cuts.
Buy only the amount of produce that you will use within a week.
Buy only pasteurized juices.
Storing

Promptly store produce that needs refrigeration. Fresh, whole produce such as bananas and potatoes don't need refrigeration.
Refrigerate fresh produce within two hours of peeling or cutting. Throw away leftover cut produce that is left at room temperature for more than two hours.
Discard cooked vegetables after three to four days.
Preparing

Wash all fresh fruits and vegetables with cool tap water immediately before eating. Scrub firm produce such as melons and cucumbers with a clean produce brush.
Remove and discard outer leaves of lettuce.
Use two separate cutting boards to avoid cross-contamination. Use one for raw meats and the other for fruits and vegetables. Color-coded cutting boards can help you remember which is which.
Cook raw sprouts (alfalfa, clover, etc.). Cooking them significantly reduces the risk of illness.

What is going to happen

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H1M1Virus

H1N1 (aka the swine flu) is a new influenza virus causing illness in people. First detected in people in the U.S. in April 2009. The flu that began in Mexico and is now spreading throughout several countries is NOT swine flu. This particular strain could easily be called Avian flu or even a really strong influenza strain of the common variety. The flu that is spreading now is a new strain. It has characteristics, according to the CDC (Center for Disease Control), of all three so far mentioned flu's. It is a combination of swine, avian, and human flu. Therefore, it’s technical name of H1M1 is a better name for the illness. This combination has never been seen and not much is known about how it will impact us other than it is responsible for several deaths in Mexico. It is also known that this particular strain is passed human to human-not bird to human or swine to human.Prevention is what we need o focus on. Washing your hands frequently throughout the day, not just after using the toilet.Covering your mouth when you cough and covering your
mouth and nose when you sneeze are still the most recommended methods of controlling the spread. Stay tuned, stay on guard. A question is their more to coming in these troubling times http://www.2012foretold.com.