HealthyLife Articles

Tag: Food Safety

Freeze Food For Later

HEALTHY EATING

Make more than you need and freeze foods in portion sizes for future meals. Here’s how according to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension specialists:

STEP 1.

Cool foods “slightly” at room temperature before refrigeration. A food does not need to be completely cool before it is refrigerated. To help it cool slightly before refrigeration, place a shallow container of food (no deeper than 2 inches) on a cooling rack to allow air to circulate

around the pan for about 20 to 30 minutes.

STEP 2.

Cool foods to refrigerator temperature before bagging them for your freezer. LOOSELY cover food in the refrigerator. This allows heat to escape and protects the food from accidental contamination from other foods during cooling.

STEP 3.

Pack foods into freezer containers or freezer bags. Use “freezer” bags, not “storage” bags, for storing food in the freezer. Freezer bags are thicker than storage bags and will keep the food fresh longer.

Speed freezing and hasten thawing by freezing foods in a thin, flattened shape in freezer bags. A rounded shape takes longer to thaw through to the middle. Flatter packages also stack better in your freezer.

To avoid spilling food or getting it stuck in the closure of the freezer bags, use a wide-mouth funnel. Place the freezer bag in a container such as a quart measuring cup. Stand the bag upright if you are filling it with a more liquid-type food. You may wish to double-bag liquids as an added precaution against leakage.

STEP 4.

Label foods. To avoid mystery meats and other foods of unknown age, label foods using freezer tape, gummed freezer labels or permanent marking pens/crayons. Include the name of the food, packaging date, number of servings or amount, and helpful hints (sliced, chopped) or special ingredients.

Place filled freezer bags on a flat surface in your freezer, such as on a metal pan. Do not stack freezer bags until frozen so they will freeze faster. After they are frozen solid, remove the bags from the pan. Store and stack the bags right on the freezer shelf. Or turn them on their edge and store them vertically. This is an especially good idea when freezing liquid foods, such as soups and stews.

STEP 5.

Thaw and cook frozen foods. DO NOT thaw perishable foods at room temperature. If these foods are left at room temperature too long, bacteria may grow and produce heat-resistant toxins that can cause food-borne illness. Cooking may not be able to destroy these toxins. It’s best to plan ahead for slow, safe thawing in the refrigerator overnight. Up to 5 pounds of food should thaw in about 24 hours. Or food may be transferred from a freezer bag to a microwave safe container for thawing in the microwave.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Grill Master

HEALTHY EATING

Charring, burning, or grilling meat, poultry, and fish over high temperatures causes heterocyclic amines (HCAs) to form. These HCAs can damage your genes and raise your risk for stomach and colorectal cancers, says The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. You can avoid HCAs:

* Use a marinade. Marinating meat in vinegar, lemon juice, and herbs such as mint, rosemary, tarragon, or sage can reduce HCA formation by as much as 96%. Just 30 minutes can help.

* Stick with fish. Fish contains less fat and cooks faster than meat and poultry.

* Lightly oil the grill. This keeps charred materials from sticking to your food.

* Pre-cook food. Cook meat, poultry, or fish in the microwave or oven for 2 to 5 minutes, then finish them on the grill.

* Lower the temperature. For a charcoal grill, spread the coals thinly or prop the grill rack on bricks. This reduces the heat by increasing the distance between your food and the coals. And use barbecue briquettes and hardwood products, such as hickory and maple. They burn at lower temperatures than softwood (pine) chips.

* Scrub the grill. Cleaning the grill after each use prevents harmful chemicals from building up and transferring to your food.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
How To Stop Emotional Eating

HEALTHY EATING

There’s no doubt that food can be comforting. Our favorite foods can make us feel happy and relaxed. Sometimes when people feel sad, lonely, stressed, or even bored, they may turn to food for comfort. This is known as emotional eating, and most people don’t realize they are doing it. As a result, people eat when their body isn’t truly hungry, and this can lead to weight gain and health problems.

The University of Rochester Medical Center says emotional eating can be harmful. It can cause type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and obesity. But, emotional eating can be a hard habit to break. Here are some tips to help you stop:

Learn to listen to your body.

Are you truly hungry? If so, your stomach may be grumbling. With emotional eating, people often crave one specific food, such as a cookie. But if you’re really hungry, you’ll be willing to eat something healthier, such as fruits or vegetables.

Wait a little while.

If you’re not sure if you’re hungry, tell yourself to wait 15 minutes. In the meantime, do something else. Take a walk, have a glass of water, or call a friend. See if the urge to eat passes.

Keep unhealthy foods away.

Stock nutritious foods in your house, and don’t buy the foods you eat when you’re stressed. It’s easier to avoid the temptation if the food isn’t available to you.

Don’t worry about past mistakes.

When you’re trying to break a habit, setbacks can happen. Forgive yourself if you end up eating too much or giving in to a craving. Tell yourself you’ll start fresh again tomorrow. Don’t give up.

Find healthy ways to deal with stress.

Go for a walk, listen to music, or do deep breathing exercises to help you deal with stress. Then you’re less likely to turn to food for comfort.

If you have a problem with emotional eating, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Talk with your doctor about the problem. Ask about support groups and mental health experts who help people with emotional eating.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Keep Clean And Carry On

HEALTHY EATING

Reusable grocery totes are popular. They’re an eco-friendly choice to carry groceries. But only 15% of Americans regularly wash their tote bags, thus creating a breeding zone for harmful bacteria, according to a survey by the Home Food Safety program. For example, juices from raw meat or germs from unclean objects can come in contact with bread or produce. And each year 48 million Americans get food poisoning from food-borne germs.

You can prevent getting sick, says the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics:

* Wash your grocery tote often, either in the washing machine or by hand with hot, soapy water. Turn it inside out.

* Clean all areas where you place your totes, such as the kitchen counter or kitchen table.

* Store totes in a clean, dry location. Avoid leaving empty totes in the trunk of your car.

* Wrap meat, poultry, and fish in plastic bags at the grocery store before putting them in your tote. Use one tote for raw meats, poultry and seafoods. Use a different one for ready-to-eat foods.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Prevent Kids From Choking

FAMILY LIFE

Food-not toys-are the most common culprit of choking accidents in kids under 5. The reasons have a lot to do with a child’s anatomy.

“Young children have underdeveloped swallowing mechanisms, immature teeth and narrow airways, which put them at a higher risk for choking on food,” said Dr. Nina Shapiro, a professor of head and neck surgery at the UCLA School of Medicine. “Plus, the diameter of a child’s airway is about the size of their pinky, so high-risk foods can easily block their tiny airways and prevent their ability to breathe.”

The list of high-risk foods for children under age 5 years includes many kid favorites:

* Cheese sticks

* Chewing gum

* Chunks of meat or cheese

* Chunks of peanut butter

* Chunks of raw vegetables

* Dried fruit

* Grapes

* Hard or sticky candy and lollipops

* Hot dogs

* Nuts

* Popcorn

* Seeds such as pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds

Here are some tips:

* Vegetables should be cooked and cut into small pieces.

* Hot dogs and cheese sticks should be cut lengthwise, then widthwise, and then into the shape of small moons.

* Grapes should be peeled and cut in half or quarters.

* Nut butters should be spread thinly onto crackers or bread.

* Young children should always be attended to by an adult when they eat and only eat developmentally appropriate foods.

* Children should sit up straight and not play or run while eating.

If a child does choke and is unable to breathe, call 911 and perform the Heimlich maneuver. Even if the child seems to choke but then coughs and appears fine, the object may have become lodged, and the child should see a doctor.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Re-Freeze Foods Safely

HEALTHY EATING

It’s an old-wives’ tale that foods cannot be refrozen. But follow guidelines for safe food handling, according to the Partnership for Food Safety Education and the USDA.

If raw foods such as meat, poultry, egg products, and seafood have been thawed in the refrigerator, then they may be safely re-frozen without cooking for later use. Never thaw raw foods by letting them sit on the kitchen counter. If raw foods are thawed outside of the refrigerator, for example in the microwave or in cool water, they should be cooked immediately. Never re-freeze raw or not fully cooked foods that have been thawed outside of the refrigerator.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Store Picnic Food Safely

HEALTHY EATING

A picnic in the park can be great fun for everyone, but it’s important to assure your food arrives safely along with your family and guests. Follow smart food packing guidelines, say the experts at the Institute of Food Technologists. Keep meats, including lunch meats and raw meats, cheeses, and condiments cold in insulated, soft-sided bags or coolers with freezer gel packs.

Food needs to be stored at 40ºF or colder to reduce the risk of germ growth, so limit the number of times you open the cooler. Never allow food to sit for more than 2 hours at temperatures below 90ºF, and no more than an hour when temperatures exceed 90ºF outside. Throw away food that’s been sitting out too long.

Securely package raw meat, seafood and poultry to ensure the juices don’t contaminate other foods. Pack only the amount of perishable food that you think will be eaten. Beverages and perishable foods should travel in separate containers and coolers, especially if you’ll be transporting raw meat.

When it’s time to go home, don’t reuse packaging material that has contacted raw meats or meat juices. Make sure perishable leftovers stay cold on the trip home. Avoid taking home uncooked leftovers.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
The Rise Of Food Allergies

HEALTHY EATING

The body’s immune system is designed to fight off unwanted invaders, such as viruses, bacteria and fungi. But when the immune system reacts to something that isn’t usually harmful, such as pollen, dust, or certain foods, it’s considered an allergy.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says 5 out of every 100 children in the U.S. have a food allergy today. About 4 percent of all adults also have food allergies.

While some reactions may be mild, such as hives or tingling, other food allergies can cause a life-threatening allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis.

Increase in allergies – and questions

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that food allergies increased 18 percent among children from 1997 to 2007.

Researchers are still trying to find out why food allergies continue to increase. However, they do know a few key facts about food allergies:

* Up to 90 percent of all food allergies involve eggs, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, wheat and soy.

* Food allergies can occur at any age, not just during childhood. Even if you’ve eaten a food before without problems, you can become allergic to it later.

* If you have a parent with allergies, asthma, or eczema, you are more likely to have food allergies.

* Kids with food allergies are up to 4 times more likely to have asthma and other allergies, such as hay fever.

* Allergies to fish, shellfish, peanuts, and tree nuts tend to last a person’s entire life. Dairy, egg, and soy allergies are sometimes outgrown.

* There is no cure for allergies: the allergic food must be avoided.

A recent analysis in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that introducing some allergenic foods to a baby earlier in life could lower the risk of food allergies. Talk to your pediatrician before giving your child new foods, especially if allergies run in the family.

Severe allergic reactions: WHAT TO DO

Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that can be deadly. Symptoms include facial or lip swelling, paleness, weakness, difficulty breathing, vomiting and fainting. If someone is having anaphylaxis, it’s important to:

* Ask if the person has epinephrine (EpiPen or another injector) and see if they need help injecting it. It is usually injected into a person’s thigh. This should be done quickly.

* Call 911 immediately.

* Even if the person starts to feel better, he or she should still go to the hospital and seek medical care. The epinephrine delays the reaction, but the allergy must still be treated by a doctor right away.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026