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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 . . .Source

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

Yes! I haven't eaten any tomatoes in over a week.

Yes, but I have only avoided red tomatoes.

No, I grow my own tomatoes and I know they are safe.

No, I buy locally-grown produce and live in a state that hasn't been affected.

Other – share the details in the comments section below.

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

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.

FDA Safety Labs To Stay Open

FitSugar — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 02:00:00 -0700

After the recent rash of food recalls, I found this headline slighting re-assuring: FDA delays plans to close food safety labs.

It seems the Food and Drug Administration’s commissioner has suspended plans to close more than half the agency’s field laboratories as the FDA awaits recommendations from a presidential panel about how to better guarantee the safety of imported food and other products. On July 18, President Bush established the Import Safety Working Group asking for recommendations in 60 days.

The FDA is considering plans to consolidate its lab network to modernize its food safety efforts. Hopefully these recommendations will improve the FDA's ability to test imported and domestic food because I am getting sick of writing about all these recalls!

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Time to Clean out that Old Food

FitSugar — Sun, 06 May 2007 02:00:00 -0700

I'm really bad with throwing things away, it is definitely a direct result of my parents branding my brain with the idea that wasting is bad. Now older, I agree, but there comes a point where health is involved. I was thrilled to come across these guidelines from MSNBC.com on when it's time to chuck the ground chuck that's been in your freezer for years:

FRIDGE:
- Milk should always be put on a shelf and never on the door.
- Eggs should be stored in the container they came in. Never use the plastic egg container that comes with some refrigerators. Eggs need to breathe and the plastic container keeps them from doing so and will cause them to spoil faster. Fresh eggs will last up to three weeks if stored properly.
- Condiments kept in the fridge will last up to a year, except mayonnaise and that should be kept only for two months. The most dangerous part of condiments is cross contamination. Be sure to always use a clean utensil that has not touched other foods before putting the knife or fork into the jar.
FREEZER:
- Frozen entrees and dinners: three to four months
- Ground beef or turkey: three months
- Lunchmeats (unopened): one month
- Bacon (unopened): one month
- Whole chicken or turkey: one year
What about the pantry? Want to find out? Then

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What's the Deal with: Microwaving Plastic

FitSugar — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 14:30:00 -0800

You've all probably heard from someone by now that "You shouldn't microwave plastic containers," but are those rumors really true? Are harmful toxins really being released into your nuked food?

Here's the deal. The American Cancer Society basically says that when you heat something up in the microwave, some of the chemicals can seep into your food, but not enough that would be considered harmful. If that possible seepage weirds you out too much, use heat-resistant glass or ceramics for microwave cooking, like pyrex, just to be safe. Pyrex is great because it's not only microwave safe but it's also durable and cleans easily without staining your containers nasty shades of orange and brown. Get it here.