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Preventing food poisoning among children

Mommies, food poisoning can seem like the most dreaded two words, when it is about your child’s health. That’s why precaution is always better than cure! Especially for something as severe as food poisoning which can take a huge toll on your child’s health.

So how do we ensure to keep food poisoning at bay from our little ones? First, let’s start by understanding the reason and concerns that food poisoning raises for young children.

Food poisoning occurs from bacteria-contaminated food and starts anywhere from an hour to three days after eating tainted or undercooked food. It usually takes a heavy toll on your little one’s health and its symptoms vary from nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, to fever. Children, whose immune systems are not fully developed, are at high risk for serious complications.

So here’s where a mother must act!  For all you worried mothers out there: Just follow this simple guideline and prevent your child’s suffering.

Cleanliness is vital

  • Maintain proper hygiene. Always wash your hands properly after going to the washroom, before preparing meals, or changing your child’s diaper.
  • Teach your child to wash hands before consuming any type of food, after coming back from the bathroom, after playing outside, etc. Try to get your child into making a habit out of it.
  • Be very careful while preparing raw meat or poultry. Make sure you’ve thoroughly rinsed the raw meat and clean all the surfaces that came in contact with it before continuing cooking.
  • Do not prepare food if you are not well, especially if you have symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, or diarrhea.
  • Cover your hands, if you have open cuts or sores; wear gloves while preparing food.

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Food Selection

  • Carefully examine any sort of canned food because it poses a high risk of bacterial contamination. Avoid cracked jars, loose, swollen or half opened cans. If you see vegetables surrounded by clear milky liquid, it’s a big no-no.
  • Always buy meat, poultry, seafood from reputable suppliers.
  • Do not eat raw meat, or use raw (unpasteurized) milk or cheese made from raw milk.
  • If your child is under one year of age, do not give honey to your baby.

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Food Preparation and Serving

  • Keep in mind: Any prepared food, starchy dishes, cheese, cooked/cured meats, or anything with mayonnaise in it shouldn’t stay in room temperature for more than two hours.
  • If you are cooking meat or poultry, don’t interrupt the cooking in between to finish it later.
  • Always put hot food right into the refrigerator. Do not wait for it to cool first.
  • Do not have under cooked food. Make sure the food is cooked thoroughly, in fact, check by using a meat thermometer for large items such as roasts.
  • Cover and reheat previously prepared items thoroughly.

Just a little bit of precaution can go a long way; No more tummy trouble for your little darlings.