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How Pink Can My Pork Be?

FitSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:24:04 -0800

Last night my hubby cooked a pork loin roast - I love when he cooks me dinner. The recipe said to cook the meat until the internal temperature registers 140 to 145°F, and while the meat rests the temperature will rise another five to 10 degrees. He did this, and the pork was pink running with pink juices. We were both alarmed that it seemed quite underdone, but it seems that attitudes about pork have changed.

The Center For Disease Control still recommends cooking pork to at least 170°F and until the juices run clear to avoid trichinosis, a parasitic infection caused by undercooked meat. This conflicts with the USDA recommendation of cooking pork to 160°F. While trichinosis was once common, only an average of 12 cases are reported annually, which is considerably smaller than the 40,000 cases of salmonella reported every year to the CDC. Trichinosis has declined since feeding raw meat to hogs was outlawed; the trichina worms that cause the food-borne illness make their home in raw meat and if ingested through undercooked meat they can make their home in your gut. With the significant decrease in infection, pork should at least be cooked to a temperature that will kill E. coli, which is 160°F. Along with being safer, pork meat is now leaner, so it dries out when cooked at higher temps. Some chefs say 145°F is high enough for cuts of pork. What about you? How do you cook your pork?

7 Food Safety Tips For the Fourth of July

FitSugar — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:35:18 -0700

Fourth of July is all fun and games - until someone gets food poisoning! OK, while that may not be your biggest concern this holiday, don't forget food safety when making salads and moving meat from the kitchen to the 'cue. Here are a few important rules to remember.

Clean your plates. If you transport raw meat to the grill on a platter, be sure to wash the platter before plating up the cooked meat or swap out a clean one.
Keep separate cutting boards. Don't use the same cutting board for raw meat that you do for other foods, and be sure to wash rigorously anything that comes into contact with the raw stuff.
Take the temperature. Use a meat thermometer to determine when you meat is cooked: the FDA recommends a temp of 160°F for ground beef and 165°F for poultry.

For tips regarding the nonmeat part of the meal, read more.

Wash the produce. Even if you're grilling the veggies, be sure to rinse them thoroughly and give potatoes and root veggies a scrub with a brush.
Opt for loose lettuce. Avoid potentially contaminated bagged produce and go for heads of lettuce instead. Better yet, discard the outermost layers before washing.
Mind the mayo. Don't leave mayonnaise-based salads like potato salad out for more than two hours or, if it's above 90°F, an hour.
Put it away. Refrigerate any leftovers within two hours of eating.

Do You Eat Foods Past Their Expiration Date?

FitSugar — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 09:00:00 -0700

With different foods being recalled almost every other month, food-borne illnesses are on everyone's mind a bit more. We use those expiration dates stamped on boxes, cans, and containers as guidance of what to toss and what is safe to eat. Since money is tight, folks are relying on the sniff test more than the printed "sell-by" date. Regardless, it is estimated that on average, a family of four throws out 120 pounds of food in one month. Both Prevention and Real Simple have tips on how long many foods really last past their use-by date. Yogurt, for example, is generally OK to eat for 10 to 14 days past its expiration date, and eggs last for up to a month past their sell-by date. That is as long as they are kept in a refrigerator set to 39 degrees Fahrenheit.

So what about you . . .

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When Should You Toss the Food in Your Home?

FitSugar — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 03:30:00 -0700

When it comes to food expiration, it can be tough to know what to trust: your sense of smell or the use-by date on a product. Both can be helpful guidelines, but there are general time frames that certain foods remain safe for consumption. Make your life a little easier by understanding these umbrella guidelines. How much do you know about the longevity of the food in your freezer, refrigerator, and cabinets? Take the quiz!

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COOL News! Food Labeling Law Goes Into Effect

FitSugar — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 12:00:00 -0700

Do you know where your avocado is from? That question is easier to answer now as the new food labeling law goes into effect this week. The so-called COOL law requires producers of fresh meats, many fruits and vegetables, and assorted other products to state clearly on packages where the food originates.

As part of the Obama administration's efforts to improve food safety, labels on meat products will even state where the animal was born, raised, and slaughtered. However, the law doesn't apply to many foods that are considered "processed," including roasted nuts, bacon, breaded chicken, and bags of veggies containing more than one variety.

Still, the COOL indicator will help us know if produce hails from a place where food safety has come into question, such as when we were told to avoid hot peppers from Mexico and certain states' tomatoes amid last year's salmonella outbreaks. I hope it's just the first step in revamping our faulty food-safety system. Are you looking forward to seeing the new labels?

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How Much Do You Know About Food Safety

FitSugar — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 09:00:00 -0700

There are a lot of misconceptions out there and when it comes to food safety, you want to be in the know. Take this quiz and see if your knowledge is up to snuff.

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Tainted Tomatoes Now in 30 States: Are You Avoiding Them?

FitSugar — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Unfortunately, the salmonella tainted tomato problem is growing, and reported cases have been found in 30 states now, including Pennsylvania and New Hampshire. Six cases have been reported from New York City raising the total number of confirmed cases to 383, and counting. Forty-eight people have been hospitalized after eating these unsafe veggies, and now the FDA is saying it may be "impossible to trace the ultimate source of the tainted tomatoes." That's not very comforting, is it? The tracking difficulties stem from the fact that tomatoes are often sold without tags. Also, by the time people become symptomatic, there's rarely a tainted tomato left to test. Since they were the main supplies of tomatoes when the salmonella outbreak began, Mexico and Florida remain top on the list of possible sources of contaminated produce. Still plugging along in their investigation, the FDA has asked Mexican health authorities to test for cases of this exact strain of salmonella.

For now, it's best to continue avoiding raw red plum, red Roma, or red round tomatoes unless they were grown in specific states or countries that FDA has deemed safe (check this list). Also, all grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, tomatoes sold with the vine still attached, and home-grown tomatoes are still considered safe to eat. Tomatoes are supposed to hit stores and restaurants soon, but now I'm a little leery about eating any until this matter is cleared up.

I am curious to know that with . . .

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The Lifespan of Leftovers

FitSugar — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 08:45:00 -0800

I'm sure with all the holiday parties you've been throwing and attending, your fridge must be filled with leftovers. Cooked meats, side dishes, soups, and salads galore. I love having leftovers because it makes eating a healthy meal quick and easy. So how long are those foods good for?

Most foods will stay fresh and safe to eat for three to four days. Meat and dishes that contain meat should probably be eaten within two to three days.

You only want to save foods that have been sitting at room temperature for two hours or less. Refrigerate foods immediately in airtight containers or bags. To prevent food poisoning, be sure to reheat your leftovers thoroughly. It's a good idea to boil sauces, soups and gravies on the stove or in the microwave. Reheat casseroles, cooked veggies, and other hot foods in at least a 325°F oven until completely hot. You can also microwave leftovers, but be sure there are no cold spots where bacteria could live. To ensure that they're cooked thoroughly, cover these foods, and stir and rotate them for even cooking. If you have leftover desserts that contain fruit or cream, eat them within two to three days.

Fit's Tips: Keep some masking tape and a pen nearby so you can date your leftovers. Anything that's been in the fridge for longer than four days should probably be tossed. If something looks or smells funny, I'd ditch that too. It's not worth getting sick over.

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What's the Deal With Seitan?

FitSugar — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 11:00:00 -0800

There are so many meat alternatives out there, which is wonderful for vegetarians. There are tofu turkey, tempeh bacon, and seitan chicken nuggets. Tofu and tempeh are both made from soybeans, but seitan is actually made out of wheat gluten. It's sometimes referred to as the vegetarian wheat meat.

When cooked, seitan has more of a chewy texture than tofu or tempeh, making it a popular meat substitute. Many vegetarian restaurants use it to make mock steak strips, mock chicken in stir-frys, and I've even had mock eel made out of seitan.

Since people eat meat alternatives as a source of protein, I was curious to see how seitan compared to tofu and ground beef? To find out read more

	3 oz. Nasoya Chinese Spice Seasoned Firm Tofu	3 oz. LightLife Teriyaki Seitan	3 oz. 85 percent Fat-Free Ground Beef
Calories	90	110	181
Total Fat	5g	0g	12.6g
Saturated Fat	1g	0g	4.9g
Cholesterol	0mg	0mg	57mg
Sodium	220mg	380mg	55mg
Carbs	3g	6g	0g
Fiber	1g	1g	0g
Sugar	less than 1g	4g	0g
Protein	8g	19g	15.6g

Check out the difference in protein! I'm totally amazed that seitan has 19g and is only 110 calories. It even has more protein than ground beef. Very impressive. If you're looking for new ways to get your daily protein, give seitan a try. Since wheat gluten doesn't have a very strong flavor, you can flavor it any way you want. It'll give your dishes the chewy consistency you get from meat, but without all the cholesterol and saturated fat.

Can You Handle It? Food Safety Quiz

FitSugar — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 12:30:00 -0700

When it comes to storing and cooking food, do you know the facts...off the top of your head? Test your knowledge of the everyday issues and see.

Take the quiz