Food Safety Made Easy


I have a lot of passion for nutrition, but one area I am especially fervent about is food safety. Anyone who has eaten with me might even venture to say I’m borderline obsessive about the issue (wink, wink.) I have lived dangerously; eaten pizza that was left out all night; allowed chicken to defrost on the counter. I’ve even played with fire by eating potato salad that had been out room temperature all day. (Note: At the time, I didn’t know the risk I was taking, flirting with the most miserable 24-48 hours one could spend – not to mention potentially ruining a craving for a food forever.)

While food poisoning is certainly no fun, for more vulnerable populations like the elderly, immune-compromised and pregnant women it can be very serious, possibly fatal. The good news is that there are steps you can take to keep your food safe and reduce your risk of getting food poisoning. Let’s run through these quick steps below.

Four Simple Steps

Foodsafety.gov recommends 4 easy steps to follow to keep your food safe; clean, separate, cook, and chill.

Keep It Clean

  • Cleanliness is the first important step in preparing your food. Be sure to wash your hands before handling food and also in between if handling raw meat or eggs. You should wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap under warm running water.
  • Rinse all fruits and vegetables, even if you plan to peel them. Fruits and vegetables can carry illness bearing bacteria which can also spread to the insides when cut.
  • All surfaces that come in contact with your food also have the potential to transfer bacteria. Wash all utensils, cutting surfaces and counter tops with each use.
  • You should skip washing your meats, as this can actually propagate the spread of bacteria.

Keep It Separate

  • Use separate cutting boards and plates for meats/poultry/seafood/eggs; as well as for ready-to-eat foods like fruits and vegetables. This step will help you to avoid cross contamination.
  • The same principle goes for in your fridge or grocery cart. Ask your grocer for a plastic bag to cover raw meat. Juice may leak from raw meat packages onto foods that are ready to eat.

Cook

  • A very important aspect to preventing food-borne illness is to cook foods at the right temperature. Making sure you are cooking your meal at the right temperature for the right amount of time assures you will kill food-borne bacteria.
  • Not only is it important to cook food at the right temperature, but it must be kept at least 140 degrees after cooking to maintain a safe temperature. You can keep foods warm for serving using products like chafing dishes, slow cookers and warmers.
  • As food begins to cool, bacteria start to grow. The danger zone is between 40-140 degrees. (Personally, I am a big fan of using food thermometers to assure my meals are cooked to and kept at the right temperature.)

Chill

  • Bacteria starts growing in perishable foods within two hours, so it is important to either refrigerate food within two hours or keep cold foods between 32-40 degrees for serving.

One final note about serving food – I would like to highlight, once again, that if you are serving food for an extended period of time, hot food should be kept at 140 degrees or more and cold foods should be kept between 32-40 degrees; or it should all be refrigerated within two hours. Not meeting these guidelines is the most common food safety mistake that I see in my work as a dietician.

Ready to practice your new-found food safety skills? Try this Teriyaki Chicken Wing with Hot Mango Dipping Sauce recipe made with stevia!

 

Carolyn ReynaudCarolyn Reynaud, MS, RD, LD is a licensed registered dietitian. She received her BS in nutrition from Michigan State University and her Masters and Certificate in Public Health from Georgia State University. She has experience working in several avenues of health care including corporate wellness, clinical disease management, research, and health promotion. She has been working as a health coach specialist for close to 6 years, where she counsels patients on preventative healthcare and helps them meet their health goals. Follow her on Twitter @ReynaudCari.

Q&A with resident RD for Stevia


Stevia…what do you know about it?

Wondering if you should use it in your coffee or tea?

Perhaps you are seeing the big bag in your local grocery store next to the sugar and you are wondering if it would work in your morning muffin recipe?

One thing is certain, stevia is gaining popularity and we are happy about that! But, we want to make sure consumers know everything they need to know about stevia and how to use it and incorporate it into their everyday lives.

Make sure to read our Facts page to learn even more about stevia as well as our Safety page.  Calorie Control Council’s resident RD, Beth Hubrich, answered a few of the top questions consumers have.

What is stevia and is it safe?

Stevia, is a low-calorie sweetener made from the leaf of the stevia plant. Many people use it to sweeten their favorite foods and beverages instead of sugar to result in fewer calories. There are also many products in today’s marketplace that use stevia.

Does stevia have the same qualities when cooking and baking?

This is an important one to know with sweeteners. When cooking or baking with any low-calorie sweetener it is best to follow that manufacturers’ recipes and recommendations. Sugar provides more than just sweetness in recipes, it can also assist in browning, caramelizing, etc., so recipes will need to be adjusted accordingly. Furthermore, low-calorie sweeteners like stevia are hundreds of times sweeter than sugar, so just a small amount of stevia is needed to get the same sweetness as sugar. For some great recipes on stevia, check out our official Pinterest page here to find all types of recipes that use stevia!

Is stevia safe for people with diabetes?

Stevia is safe for people with diabetes and for others who are looking to control calories, carbohydrate and sugar intake. Before a low-calorie sweetener is allowed on the market it must be studied and proven to be safe, especially for the most vulnerable populations including people with diabetes, the elderly and children.

Beth Hubrich, MS, RD, LD Beth is well versed in clinical nutrition, food service, nutrition communications, and community and public health. She holds a B.S. in nutrition and food science from FSU and a Master’s in nutrition and food science from Texas Woman’s University. Beth has worked with CNN and has written forToday’s Dietitian and USA Today magazine.  She is a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND), as well as a founding member of the Weight Management  and the Dietitians in Business and Communications dietetic practice groups.

Living Naturally with Stevia

Stevia spoon cropped

What exactly is stevia? Stevia is a South American plant, Stevia rebaudina, native to Paraguay that has been used as a natural sweetener for centuries. In Asia and South America, it has long been a common ingredient in products such as ice cream, breads, beverages and other tabletop products. China and Brazil are the countries where Stevia is primarily grown and harvested.

When shopping, you may see many products labeled “Stevia;” however, the word “stevia” actually refers to the stevia plant. The whole stevia plant is actually not sweet. Rather, it contains sweet components called steviol glycosides, which are extracted to create the Stevia-labeled products that you purchase. Steviol glycosides are approved for use in Australia, Brazil, China, Japan, Korea, New Zealand and Paraguay and is GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) in the US.

The benefit of stevia is that it is a naturally occurring sweetener that is between 250 and 300 times sweeter than sucrose. Since stevia is much sweeter than sugar, it requires a lot less of it to reach the same level of sweetness than sugar. Stevia also contains zero calories, making it a great option to sweeten foods and beverages with fewer calories. Furthermore, research has shown that stevia does not add calories or carbohydrates to the diet, nor does it affect blood glucose or insulin response. This makes it a great natural sugar alternative for diabetics or for those just looking to reduce extra sugar in their diet.

 

Carolyn ReynaudCarolyn Reynaud, MS, RD, LD is a licensed registered dietitian and a paid contributor to SteviaBenefits.org. She received her BS in nutrition from Michigan State University and her Masters and Certificate in Public Health from Georgia State University. She has experience working in several avenues of health care including corporate wellness, clinical disease management, research, and health promotion. She has been working as a health coach specialist for close to 6 years, where she counsels patients on preventative healthcare and helps them meet their health goals. Follow her on Twitter @ReynaudCari.

Six Tips for a Safe and Healthy Summer Picnic


July is a fantastic time of year for combing two of my favorite activities – enjoying the outdoors and… EATING!

It should come as no surprise that in the United States, July is National Hot Dog Month, National Blueberry Month, National Grilling Month and, of course, National Ice Cream Month. When you combine 4th of July celebrations plus the warm weather, you’ve got a month full of eating outdoors. But, warm summer temperatures can make eating out in nature a bit more risky. Here are some simple tips that you can use to enjoy your picnic without worry.

Keep it Clean

Bring soap, antibacterial lotion, or wipes to help prevent contamination to clean hands and utensils. Do not reuse plates or utensils that have come in contact with raw meats. Keep seafood, red meat, pork and chicken all separate so there’s no cross-contamination.

Food Prep

Defrost meats at home in the refrigerator before you pack them up for grilling and rinse fruits and vegetables before packing them up, so they’re already clean when you’re ready to eat.

Pack it Up and Pack it In

Separate raw and cooked foods in separate coolers- this is important! Be sure to pack raw meats in tightly sealed bags or containers.

Cooler 101

Be sure to get a well-insulated cooler that will keep food at 40 degrees and below. A well-stocked cooler will keep the temperature better so try to bring the right size for the amount of food you will be bringing. Hot food needs to be kept at 140 degrees Fahrenheit and above and cold foods need to be kept at 40 degrees and below.

Consider bringing multiple coolers, that way you can keep drinks in a separate cooler so that food/ice is not warmed up with frequent opening of the cooler. Replenish ice and drain off water used for food storage. Finally, make sure your cooler is sitting in a shaded area.

Pitch it

Throw out any perishable foods that have sat out for more than 2 hours or 1 hour when it is 90 degrees and above.

Take a Temp

Use a food thermometer to check if food is cooked to the appropriate temperature. Check out FoodSafety.org for a list of safe temperatures to remember.

Delicious Dishes Perfect For Sharing

Here are great picnic staples that have been altered to make them safe and healthy options – and delicious to boot!

  • OilVinegar Slaw. This recipe ditches the mayonnaise and uses Stevia to cut fat and calories. The vinegar base makes it very refreshing on a hot day and won’t turn as easily in the heat sans mayo. You could jazz this recipe up by adding dried cranberries for a new twist.
  • Red Sangria. This low-sugar spin on a refreshing cocktail use Stevia and diet soda to add sweetness without the add calories. Feel free to go heavy on the fruit is this delightful summer drink.
  • Cucumber Dill Salad. Cucumber salad is a family staple when it is too hot to stay in the kitchen for long. This recipe uses Stevia to cut sugar and calories.

 

Carolyn ReynaudCarolyn Reynaud, MS, RD, LD is a licensed registered dietitian. She received her BS in nutrition from Michigan State University and her Masters and Certificate in Public Health from Georgia State University. She has experience working in several avenues of health care including corporate wellness, clinical disease management, research, and health promotion. She has been working as a health coach specialist for close to 6 years, where she counsels patients on preventative healthcare and helps them meet their health goals. Follow her on Twitter @ReynaudCari.