HealthyLife Articles

Tag: kitchen

  • Clean Cut: Cutting Board Safety

    HEALTHY EATING

    Bird-eyes view, cutting vegetable on a cutting board.

    Cutting boards are useful for all types of slicing, dicing and chopping. They can save your countertops and make meal prep easier. But without careful cleaning, your cutting board could contaminate your foods and make you sick. Every surface your food touches needs to be clean, especially those that touch raw meat, poultry and seafood.

    When to clean your cutting board

    For a clean surface, remember to wash your board:

    *  Before using it for the first time.

    *  After it has held raw meat, poultry, seafood, eggs or flour.

    *  Before switching foods and moving on to the next step, even if it’s for the same meal.

    *  After you’re done using it.

    How to clean your cutting board

    *  Scrub your board thoroughly with hot, soapy water and a clean cloth or brush. Then rinse with hot water.

    *  If your board touched meat, fish or poultry, disinfect it after you wash it. You can do this by using a diluted bleach solution. Combine one tablespoon of bleach with one gallon of water. Pour the solution all over the board and let it sit for five minutes. Finally, rinse it well.

    *  Let it air dry or dry it with a clean towel if you need to dry it quickly.

    *  If it’s dishwasher safe, put your cutting board in the dishwasher. Be aware that some cutting boards may crack or split in the dishwasher, so follow the manufacturer’s directions.

    Other tips for clean cutting

    Buy two different boards. Use one board for meats and the other for ready-to-eat foods like fruits and breads. Get different colors so you can tell them apart.

    Replace your cutting board if it has a lot of wear, cuts or grooves. It can be hard to clean in the small grooves, which can be a hiding spot for germs.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Make Your Kitchen A Healthy Eating Zone

    Healthylife® Weigh

    Part 4

    Three generation family eating dinner at home.

    You walk into the kitchen and see a box of cereal sitting out. You fill your cereal bowl and eye the leftover pie next to a bag of chips on the counter. It’s been a long day and you deserve a treat, right? When you are hungry, tired, bored, or stressed, food choices can be influenced by what is around you.

    First, learn about your kitchen. Your kitchen may be a place where you socialize with family and friends. It may be a place where you cook or pack lunches for children. Or, you have to walk through the kitchen to get to other rooms.

    *  How many times do you walk into your kitchen each day? If you aren’t sure, keep track for a day.

    *  List a few reasons you go into your kitchen.

    *  Without opening any doors (pantry, fridge, etc.), what foods can you see?

    *  If you were to select a snack right now, what would you choose? Why did you choose this snack?

    The kitchen can be one of your biggest allies in managing your weight. A kitchen can also be a battle zone that trips up your goals.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Keep Clean And Carry On

    HEALTHY EATING

    Image of green re-usable bag with fruit.

    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