Proper treatment and understanding of food poisoning is important. However, you should also not lose sight of the greater responsibility of preventing it from happening to not only us but also to others.

Here are smart ways that could help you avoid food poisoning.

1. Be sure to always wash your vegetables and fruits thoroughly before eating them.
2. Before eating any cooked food, be sure that it is properly cooked. If, for example, you cut into a meat and observe that it is still raw in the inside, do not eat it. This could mean that the bacteria that may be there have survived the mild cooking and can still infect you.
3. Don’t just put food in your mouth without looking at it or smelling it. If it looks different from usual or smells different than normal, check with the one who cooked before eating it. Check also for other signs of spoilage like mold or uneven discoloration of some parts of the food.
4. If what you will be eating are leftovers, be sure to heat them up before eating since heat can kill bacteria that may have grown on it while it was in the fridge.
5. Always check the expiry date of any food or drink. Make it a habit to refer to the expiration dates in the labels of food and take it as it is which means that it is to be eaten BEFORE the expiration and not on the expiration day, those dates are not there for nothing, you know.
6. Similarly, do not neglect to refer to the storage instructions that companies include in their packaging. These instructions will naturally differ from one type of food to another, some may require longer periods in cool dry places, while some may go as far as to instruct that the product be kept in high temperature containers at all times. These labels may also provide for instructions on the appropriate cooking method and temperature, be sure to observe that as well.
7. Lastly, be sure to cover and refrigerate the food product immediately, as room temperature doesn’t offer much protection from the growth of bacteria. In fact, it will breed it. By refrigerating the food, the bacteria are killed and their potential for growth is shattered.

The key, therefore, in avoiding food poisoning is both attentiveness and patience. Be attentive to the warnings that the manufacturers give, be aware of the limitations of the food products that you purchase and be conscious of your eating, food preparing and food storing habits. Only with these can you insure good health and joyous eating safe from the threats of food poisoning.