There is nothing more relaxing than spending a day out by the grill and cooking for your friends and family. If you’re planning a BBQ for your friends and family, it is important to follow proper food safety protocol to avoid accidentally making your guests sick. This article will review proper food safety tips that you should keep in mind when grilling this summer to avoid food poisoning.
If you’re feeling sick and in need of rapid symptom relief, walk into AFC Urgent Care Bedford. Our walk-in clinic in Bedford, MA is available 7 days a week from 8am to 8pm to provide rapid same-day treatment for food poisoning! Simply walk in when it’s convenient, or you can save your spot in advance using the button below!
Understanding How Food Poisoning Occurs
Food poisoning occurs when you eat contaminated foods or beverages. You can be exposed to contaminated foods in many different ways. Some of the most common ways include not keeping food properly refrigerated, letting it sit at room temperature for too long, using something past its expiration date, and eating old leftovers that have expired.
When food is left out for too long, improperly stored or left unconsumed, it can grow bacteria which can make you sick after you eat it. Similarly, many foods are exposed to contaminants throughout the processing time. This is why it is always important to cook your meats all the way through so that you kill off any potential viral or bacterial contaminants before you eat.
Tips for Preventing Food Poisoning
If you’re planning on grilling this summer, it is important to understand the risk of food poisoning so you can ensure you’re properly handling your food. Here are some tips for avoiding food poisoning when grilling:
Don’t Let Food Sit Out in the Heat
If you’re bringing food outside to grill, wait until the last minute to bring your meats into the sun. Letting meat sit in the sun while it marinates can cause bacteria to grow. Instead, keeping it in the fridge as long as possible will ensure it doesn’t spoil.
Cook Your Meats All the Way Through
Grilling your meats until they’re well done greatly reduces the risk of getting food poisoning. This is because it ensures all of the viruses and bacteria have been killed off, even in the center of the meat.
Be Careful of Cross Contamination
It’s always important to be careful not to cross-contaminate foods while cooking. This includes not putting cooked meats back in the same marinade they were in when they were raw, and not letting cooked meats touch any plates or cutting boards that touched raw meats.
Visit AFC Bedford for Urgent Food Poisoning Diagnosis & Treatment
It’s important to be vigilant about food safety while cooking, but especially in the summertime when temperatures can lead to spoiled food. Food poisoning can lead to a variety of different symptoms, including vomiting and diarrhea. If you’re experiencing symptoms of food poisoning, or think you may be developing a case of food poisoning, walk into AFC Urgent Care Bedford!
Our walk-in clinic in Bedford, MA is open 7 days a week from 8am to 8pm to provide patients quality same-day care when they need it. We never require patients to schedule an appointment in advance. Just walk in when it’s convenient. We work with most medical insurances, and have affordable rates for self-paying patients. For more information, give us a call at (781) 430-8161.
