Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Tips for Healthy Food

***Cross Contamination is the physical movement or transfer of harmful bacteria from one person, object or place to another. It is a key factor in food borne illness (food poisoning), and it’s common sources are: food, people, equipment and work surfaces.
Make sure:

* thoroughly washing hands after handling raw foods, especially raw meats,
* using separate cutting boards and food contact surfaces for raw and cooked / pre-cooked and pre-prepared foods,
* not to make contact between raw and cooked/pre-cooked and pre-prepared foods
* not placing bulk food containers on bench surfaces,
* using correct sanitation procedures for all utensils and equipment,
* that cleaning cloths are single service or are adequately sanitized,
* keep raw foods and ready to eat foods separate.

***Vitamin C, is destroyed by the oxygen in the air, heat and sun light in 30 minutes of contact. Consume your fruit juices or sliced fruits as soon as possible. And store them far from the sun light and heat.

*** High Risk Foods are those perishable foods which can support the growth of harmful bacteria and are intended to be eaten without further treatment such as cooking, which would destroy such organisms.

They include:
* All cooked meat and poultry.
* Cooked meat products including gravy, stock, and roll/sandwich fillings.
* Milk, cream, artificial cream, custards and dairy products.
* Cooked eggs and products made with eggs, eg. mayonnaise.
* Shellfish and other seafood.
* Cooked rice.

***Try to consume broccoli without cooking. Cooking or boiling destroys the vitamins and minerals in it.

***Signs of food spoilage:

* Bad odors (off odors) occur.
* Foods become slimy as the bacterial population grows.
* Foods become discolored by the microbial growth.
* Foods go sour when certain bacteria produce acids.
* Yeasts and bacteria often produce gaseous by- products that can affect food.

***Do not sprinkle the cinnamon right after you pour the rice pudding to the bowls. This would let the microorganisms grow fast contacting the cinnamon with the hot surface of the rice pudding and this may lead to food borne diseases. Make sure you sprinkle the cinnamon just before serving the cooled rice pudding.

***Most probable growth conditions of microorganisms:

* In the presence or absence of oxygen.
* At temperatures between -7 to around 70°C.
* Over a pH range from 0 to 11.
* At water activities above about 0.6.
(Spoilage of any particular food will be by the organisms most suited to the conditions in and around that food.)

***Tomato is a very good source of lycopene, which is a very powerful antioxidant.

***The immediate contact of the tea leaves with boiled water would lose the Vitamin C and affect the minerals in it. Also boiled water damages the tannin(tanen) material and it causes anemia(kansizlik).To prevent this situations wash the tea leaves in the brewer or wet them with 1-2 tbsp of cold water.

***While thawing the frozen fish, first leave it in the fridge (4C) for 12 hours, then thaw it at room temperature for 4-5 hours and cook immediately. Make sure you do not leave the frozen fish directly at the room temperature. This would cause the pathogenic organisms to grow and spread over the fish quickly.

***Make sure you make your salad maximum 30 minutes before serving. Because chopped vegetables starts losing the vitamins, especially Vitamin C, when they contact with air after 30 minutes.

***Cooked vegetables can be kept max 4 days and cooked meats 3 days in the fridge.

***Make sure you do not keep cooked or raw fish in your fridge more than 2 days.

***The cold atmosphere in the fridge do not kill the bacteria, it just stops their growth and decrease the infection risk.

***Do not use the frying oil twice; make sure not to consume burnt food. Burnt food and oil contains carcinogenic agents.

***To drain the pasta and egg noodles will lead to a decrease in nutrition value. While cooking them, add the exact amount of water, which evaporates, like in pilaf. So, you will cook more nutritious pasta and egg noodles.

*** Do not consume raw egg. Its digestion is difficult and a food borne disease can occur, also the biotin, from the group of Vitamin B will be damaged.

***You should boil the eggs for maximum 6-8 minutes. Otherwise, the green layer on the surface of the egg proves the loss of the nutrition loss.

*** Do not thaw the frozen vegetables before cooking. By this way you will use the maximum nutrition value.

*** To prevent your pastes from going bad, flatten their surfaces and add some olive oil. This cuts the air contact with the paste and bacteria cannot grow. You can keep the pastes for so long that way.

***To prevent the Vitamin loss while preparing green salads, do not use knife to cut them in pieces, try to use your hands for lettuce, parsley and etc.

***After opening your canned food, replace it to a glass container to keep longer and healthier.

***The best way to keep honey is to place it to a cool and dark place. It should not contact with sunlight. Do not leave its cover open, honey will gather moisture and its taste will turn somewhat bitter.
If you do not pay attention for keeping honey, it will crystallize and lose its nutrition value.

***Strawberry has a protein which effects the serotonin hormone and this hormones make feel happy. Also it lessens the stress and appetite.

***To prevent the potatoes crinkle and sprout, place an apple among them. By this way, you will keep them for a long time.

*** Eating raw onions kills the bacteria in your teeth and mouth.

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