HEALTHY LIVING WITH JANICE--FOOD SAFETY

They may look pretty under a microscope, but e coli can be deadly.

Several years ago I landed in the hospital for three days, thanks to a serious case of food poisoning. The hospital was never able to determine what had caused the food poisoning. I’m not someone who will eat something that looks or smells bad. But it turns out you can’t always tell if food is contaminated by looking at it or smelling it. “Use by” and “sell by” dates aren’t reliable gauges of determining if foods are safe safe. They focus on quality, not safety. Besides, once the package is opened, all bets are off.

Frozen foods keep indefinitely, but the quality of the food can deteriorate over time. For refrigerated food follow these recommendations. And remember: when in doubt, throw it out.

Eggs: 3-5 weeks for fresh eggs, 1 week for hardboiled

Bacon: 1 week for raw, 4-5 days for cooked

Ground meat: 1-2 days for raw, 3-4 days for cooked

Hot dogs: 2 weeks if the package is unopened, 1 week if opened

Deli meats: 2 weeks for unopened packages, 3-4 days if opened or for freshly sliced from the deli counter

Meats: 3-5 days for raw, 3-4 days for cooked

Poultry: 1-2 days for raw, 3-4 days for cooked

Fish/shellfish: 1-2 days for raw, 3-4 days for cooked

Milk: 2-3 days beyond sell-by date

Prepared deli salads: 3-5 days

HEALTHY LIVING WITH JANICE--FOOD SAFETY

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 128,000 people are hospitalized each year due to E. coli, salmonella, listeria, and other food borne illnesses. Three thousand of them die. This is a sobering statistic. Ten years ago I spent three days in the hospital due to food poisoning. It’s not an experience I ever want to repeat or want anyone else to experience.

So here are some tips on food safety:

1. Buy whole produce only. I know it’s tempting to purchase that cut watermelon or cantaloupe because it’s easy to see if it’s sweet by looking at the color and texture of the fruit. But it’s not a good idea. The contamination risk of pre-cut produce is much higher.

2. Always place meats and produce in the plastic bags supplied by the store, even though the food comes pre-packaged. Those grapes and cherries that come in plastic bags with air holes can become contaminated when you place them in your shopping cart.

3. If you’re using reusable shopping bags, make sure you wash them frequently. They’re great for the environment, but any food particles inside them will quickly grow all sorts of nasty stuff in the heat of your trunk.

4. And speaking of trunks, don’t place your groceries in your trunk on hot days. Put them on your backseat where it’s cooler, and there’s more airflow.

5. Don’t rinse chicken and eggs before using them. Any bacteria on the chicken can splash to your faucets and countertops, and bacteria on eggshells can be absorbed into the egg washed. Eggs are washed and sanitized before their shipped to markets.

6. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling raw foods. A good rule of thumb is to sing the birthday song to yourself twice as you’re lathering up. And don’t forget to wash between your fingers and the tops of your hands.

HEALTHY LIVING WITH JANICE - MELON SAFETY

Today, a safety tip when it comes to melon. -- AP

Remember all those tainted cantaloupes last year? People all across the country became ill with listeria. Some died. Many people wondered how you could get sick from eating a fruit where you don’t eat the rind. Think about it: the melon sits in dirt and is also handled by many people from the time it’s picked until you bring it home. In the case of last year’s listeria outbreak, the soil was contaminated, but anyone touching a melon can also contaminate it with listeria, e coli, salmonella, or any number of other bacteria.

In the case of the listeria-infected cantaloupes, even after the source of the listeria was determined and melons were removed from supermarkets, people still got sick. Listeria has a very long incubation period, much longer than many other food borne bacteria, sometimes as long as two months.

Yet, here it is summer, and you can’t beat a sweet cantaloupe on a hot summer day. Here’s how you avoid getting sick: WASH THE RIND! That’s right. When you slice through the melon, any bacteria on the rind will transfer to the knife and from the knife to the melon meat. Washing the rind with an antibacterial dish detergent, will kill any bacteria on the rind.

Simple solution, isn’t it? So don’t be afraid to enjoy that cantaloupe this summer. Or any other melon, for that matter. But do wash the rind before cutting into them.

This is one of those tips that makes so much sense, I feel like smacking my head for not thinking of it! Thanks, Janice! Readers, post a comment for a chance to win a book from our Book Club Friday guest author. -- AP

HEALTHY LIVING WITH JANICE - GERMS IN THE KITCHEN

Health editor Janice Kerr talks about the germiest place in your kitchen and what you can do about it. -- AP

Thanks, Anastasia! Do you know which item in your kitchen is the #1 breeding ground for all sorts of sickness causing bacteria? It’s your kitchen sponge. And every time you use that sponge to wipe down your kitchen counters, table, or appliances, you’re spreading harmful bacteria.

Ideally, you should dispose of a sponge or kitchen cloth after each use, but that can get very costly and few people do so. How often do you replace your sponge? Not as often as you should, I’m willing to bet. And do you ever disinfect it? Dish soap alone isn’t going to do the trick.

Here are a few tips to keep your sponge from making you and your family sick:

• Place your sponge in the dishwasher every time you run a cycle.

• Several times a week, wet the sponge and microwave it for 2 minutes.

• Replace your sponge every two weeks.

Thanks, Janice. I have to admit, I’m guilty of keeping my kitchen sponges until they start to fall apart. These are good tips for keeping those sponges from making us sick. -- AP

HEALTHY LIVING WITH JANICE/MONEY MATTERS WITH SHEILA--WASTE NOT, WANT NOT

Over the last year we’ve all been scared by stories of contaminated food -- e coli in hamburger meat and salmonella in eggs are but two of recent outbreaks across the country. But besides FDA food recalls, when do you know whether it’s safe to eat what’s in the back of the fridge, even if it smells OK? Health editor Janice Kerr and money guru Sheila Conway got together today with some important food tips. -- AP

Thanks, Anastasia! Did you know that the average family of four tosses out over 1400 pounds of food a year? That amounts to about $600 in groceries down the garbage disposal. And yes, if the milk smells sour, or there’s blue fuzzy stuff growing in the cottage cheese, there’s no question as to whether or not you should keep it. However, many families toss out perfectly good food based solely on the date stamped on the package. So here are some tips about those dates.

The “use by” or “best if used by” date is the last day the item is at its highest quality. After that there will be a gradual decline in the taste, appearance, texture, odor, or nutritional value of the food.

The “sell by” date is meant as a notice to stores to remove the item from its shelves after that date. This is because the quality of the product will begin to decline after this date.

Here are some storage lengths for common foods:

MILK: Whether opened or unopened, properly refrigerated milk will last 1 week after the “sell by” date.

COTTAGE CHEESE: 7-10 days if the package is open, 1 week after the date on the package if unopened.

YOGURT: 7-10 days beyond the “sell by” date whether opened or unopened.

SOUR CREAM: 10-14 days beyond the date on package.

RAW BACON: 3-5 days for an opened package, 1 week after “used by” date for an unopened package.

COLD CUTS: 3-5 days for an opened package, 1 week beyond “use by” date for an unopened package.

RAW CHICKEN: 1-2 days.

GROUND BEEF: 1-2 days.

FRESH IN THE SHELL EGGS: 3-5 weeks beyond the “sell by” date.

MAYONNAISE: 3-4 months after opening if refrigerated, 30 days past expiration date for unopened, refrigerated jar.

Cross-contamination and unsanitary conditions are the primary causes of food-related illnesses. To keep food from becoming contaminated, follow these simple rules:

1. Always thoroughly wash your hands before handling food.

2. Store foods at proper temperature.

3. Cook all foods thoroughly and to the proper temperature for each food.

4. Wash all fresh produce.

5. Keep raw foods away from other foods.

Thank you, Janice and Sheila, for looking out for our health and our pocketbooks. -- AP