The culprit could be food borne illness cause by pathogens or microbes that you didn’t know were in your food. For healthy individuals, a bout of food borne illness may be no big deal; but for at risk populations (infants/children, elderly/older adults, pregnant women, individuals with a compromised immune system, someone undergoing treatment for cancer) food borne illness could be quite serious and put them in the hospital or having to deal with long-term complications.

Tips to reduce your risk of food borne illness:

• Wash hands before preparing or eating food.

• Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold.

• Don’t cross contaminate by preparing cooked foods on the same surface with raw foods.

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• Look for the sanitation score for the restaurant when eating out.

• When you eat at home or at a restaurant make sure foods are thoroughly cooked.

For more information about food borne illness and food safety: cdc.gov/foodsafety/foodborne-germs.html

Leah McGrath, RDN, LDN

Ingles Markets Corporate Dietitian

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800-334-4936