As we move into summer many of us will be heading outdoors to make the most of the longer, sunnier days. However, we’re not the only ones who like warm weather, and for those who might be planning a picnic the higher temperatures can provide the perfect environment for bacteria to thrive. To ensure your outdoor event is memorable for all the right reasons, here we’ve put together some tops tips for food safety when dining al fresco.
Marinate safely
Marinate foods in the refrigerator before you leave for your picnic — never on the way or outdoors. In addition, if you plan to use some of the marinade as a sauce on the cooked food, reserve a portion separately before adding the raw meat, poultry, or seafood — do not reuse marinade.
Keep cold food cold
When transporting your food from home to your destination, keep cold food stored at 40 °F / 4.5 °C and below to prevent bacterial growth. Place cold food in a cooler with ice or frozen gel packs, and remember that cold meat, poultry, and seafood may be packed while still frozen so that they stay colder longer.
Keep things clean
Wash all your produce before you leave, and once at the picnic site clean your table, any barbecue equipment, and utensils before and during food preparation. If you have access to running water, use a water jug, some soap, and paper towels, or use moist disposable towelettes for cleaning your hands.
Cook food thoroughly
If barbecuing, cook food thoroughly to kill germs that cause food poisoning, and serve food while it is hot. Never let your picnic food remain in the “Danger Zone” — between 40 °F / 4.5 °C and 140 °F / 60 °C — for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour if outdoor temperatures are above 90 °F / 32 °C. This is when bacteria in food can multiply rapidly, and lead to illness.
Prevent “cross-contamination”
Don’t reuse plates or utensils when serving food, as serving cooked food on plates that have held raw meat, poultry, or seafood will allow bacteria to spread. Instead, make sure you have packed enough plates and utensils or wash what you need in hot, soapy water before using.
Take care with leftovers
If you have leftover cooked food refrigerate it within two hours. Once home reheat leftover food thoroughly to above 167 °F / 75 °C before eating.
For more information on how to stay safe and healthy this summer head to the websites of the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and FDA.gov.
Professional Scope of Practice *
The information on this blog site is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified healthcare professional or licensed physician and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make healthcare decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified healthcare professional.
Blog Information & Scope Discussions
Welcome to El Paso's Premier Wellness and Injury Care Clinic & wellness blog, where Dr. Alex Jimenez, DC, FNP-C, a board-certified Family Practice Nurse Practitioner (FNP-BC) and Chiropractor (DC), presents insights on how our team is dedicated to holistic healing and personalized care. Our practice aligns with evidence-based treatment protocols inspired by integrative medicine principles, similar to those found on this site and our family practice-based chiromed.com site, focusing on restoring health naturally for patients of all ages.
Our areas of chiropractic practice include Wellness & Nutrition, Chronic Pain, Personal Injury, Auto Accident Care, Work Injuries, Back Injury, Low Back Pain, Neck Pain, Migraine Headaches, Sports Injuries, Severe Sciatica, Scoliosis, Complex Herniated Discs, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Pain, Complex Injuries, Stress Management, Functional Medicine Treatments, and in-scope care protocols.
Our information scope is limited to Chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicine, wellness, contributing etiological viscerosomatic disturbances within clinical presentations, associated somatovisceral reflex clinical dynamics, subluxation complexes, sensitive health issues, and/or functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions.
We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from various disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system.
Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and directly or indirectly support our clinical scope of practice.*
Our office has reasonably attempted to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research studies or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies that are available to regulatory boards and the public upon request.
We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how they may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to discuss the subject matter above further, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez, DC, APRN, FNP-BC, or contact us at 915-850-0900.
We are here to help you and your family.
Blessings
Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, APRN, FNP-BC*, CCST, IFMCP, CFMP, ATN
email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com
Licensed as a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) in Texas & New Mexico*
Texas DC License # TX5807
New Mexico DC License # NM-DC2182
Licensed as a Registered Nurse (RN*) in Texas & Multistate
Texas RN License # 1191402
ANCC FNP-BC: Board Certified Nurse Practitioner*
Compact Status: Multi-State License: Authorized to Practice in 40 States*
Graduate with Honors: ICHS: MSN-FNP (Family Nurse Practitioner Program)
Degree Granted. Masters in Family Practice MSN Diploma (Cum Laude)
Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC*, CFMP, IFMCP, ATN, CCST
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