The Rickert family spent the last 9 days (count them, NINE days), dealing with salmonella food poisoning. Justin (our 6 year old) had the worst case and was hospitalized last week due to dehydration while Emily (4) and Addison (1) dealt with it at home. Not gonna lie, summer has not been kind to my family so far!

What do I think caused it? I believe it was the lunch meat but will I ever know for sure? Not so much.

(And yes, I have realized the irony of the situation, Registered dietitians kids get food poisoning….No need to point it out!)

So in light of my up-close experience with food poisoning, I thought I would post on some food safety tips for the summer. Please share with your family and friends! Prevention is key!

1. Prevention like I said is key. Keep hot foods hot, cold foods cold, wash hands often.

Ideal temps for cooking:  Use a clean food thermometer when measuring the internal temperature of meat, poultry, casseroles, and other foods to make sure they have reached a safe minimum internal temp.

• 145 °F for fish
• 145 °F for raw beef, pork, lamb and veal steaks, chops, and roasts. For safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming.
• 160 °F  for raw ground beef, pork, lamb, and veal
• 160 °F for egg dishes/casseroles
• 165 °F for poultry.  Stuffed poultry is not recommended. Cook stuffing separately to 165 °F.
• Bring sauces, soups, and gravy to a boil when reheating.
• Reheat other leftovers thoroughly to at least 165 °F.

Keep cold foods cold

Refrigerate or freeze perishables, prepared foods, and leftovers within 2 hours (1 hour if temperatures are above 90 °F). Freezers should register 0 °F or below and refrigerators 40 °F or below. Thaw food in the refrigerator or in cold water. Foods should not be thawed at room temperature. Foods thawed in cold water must be cooked to a safe minimum internal temperature immediately after thawing. Marinate foods in the refrigerator. Divide large amounts of leftovers into shallow containers for quick cooling in the refrigerator.

2. Watch cross contamination!

Keep raw meats, poultry, seafood and eggs separate from ready-to-eat foods. Don’t forget about your utensils. Have one set for raw and one set for cooked. Watch how you bag your foods at the store! Keep all uncooked meats and proteins  separate from produce, cooked foods, and ready-to-eat foods.

3. If it smells funky or you question the safety of the product, THROW IT OUT! Better to be safe than sorry. (TRUST ME!).
4. Did I mention wash your hands? Wash, wash, wash!

That being said, sometimes you will be fed something that has been contaminated. (Like us).

If you do get sick, (especially for the elderly or children), notify your doctor. If its lasting more than 48 hours, it may not be the flu but food poisoning. Alert the health department if you have a confirmed case. It is their job to look into food borne illness to prevent others from getting sick. Staying hydrated is key and in some circumstances, a trip to the hospital is warrented for IV fluids.

(This is Justin pre and post admission to the hospital last week… Thank goodness for IV fluids!)