This is the second part of a three part, Back-To-School series, focusing on the benefits and strategies for eating a healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner for busy folks and families. This week focuses on how and what to pack for a safe and healthy lunch.
If you ever had a foodborne illness, also known as food poisoning, you painfully know that it not exactly a �day at the beach.�
According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND), nearly half of Americans admit to leaving lunches that require refrigeration out of the refrigerator/cooler/freezer for three hours or more. Food left at room temperature for over two hours are a breeding ground for pathogens that can cause foodborne illness.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about one in six Americans each year suffers from foodborne illness resulting in about 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths.
Take this quiz to see if the way you are packing your lunch is putting you at risk for foodborne illness:
If you answered, �no� to any of the above, you�re not alone but please read on.
Using a clean, insulated lunch bag along with TWO frozen ice packs is your best bet to help keep edibles at a safe temperature until lunchtime. Unfortunately, in a study published in Pediatrics, researchers at the University of Texas examined the lunchboxes of over 700 preschoolers and found that over 90 percent of the perishable items in the lunch bag were at an unsafe temperature by the time the children were chowing down on their lunch. Even more shocking, the researchers uncovered that almost 40 percent of the lunch boxes didn�t have an ice pack.
Since the immune systems of young children are not full developed, they are not only at a higher risk for foodborne illness but typically also have more serious reactions than adults. Pregnant women, older adults, and those with chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, all have weakened immune systems, which can cause these individuals to be more susceptible to pathogens that can cause foodborne illness.
To lower the risk for food poisoning, these tips will help you pack a safe lunch:
Click here for ideas for quick and easy healthy lunches to pack.
Be well, Joan
Twitter at: @JoanSalgeBlake
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| Photo Source: AND |
If you ever had a foodborne illness, also known as food poisoning, you painfully know that it not exactly a �day at the beach.�
According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND), nearly half of Americans admit to leaving lunches that require refrigeration out of the refrigerator/cooler/freezer for three hours or more. Food left at room temperature for over two hours are a breeding ground for pathogens that can cause foodborne illness.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about one in six Americans each year suffers from foodborne illness resulting in about 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths.
Take this quiz to see if the way you are packing your lunch is putting you at risk for foodborne illness:
If you answered, �no� to any of the above, you�re not alone but please read on.
Using a clean, insulated lunch bag along with TWO frozen ice packs is your best bet to help keep edibles at a safe temperature until lunchtime. Unfortunately, in a study published in Pediatrics, researchers at the University of Texas examined the lunchboxes of over 700 preschoolers and found that over 90 percent of the perishable items in the lunch bag were at an unsafe temperature by the time the children were chowing down on their lunch. Even more shocking, the researchers uncovered that almost 40 percent of the lunch boxes didn�t have an ice pack.
Since the immune systems of young children are not full developed, they are not only at a higher risk for foodborne illness but typically also have more serious reactions than adults. Pregnant women, older adults, and those with chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, all have weakened immune systems, which can cause these individuals to be more susceptible to pathogens that can cause foodborne illness.
To lower the risk for food poisoning, these tips will help you pack a safe lunch:
- Use an insulated, soft-side lunch bag or box, which are best for keeping food safe.
- Always use two ice packs. Perishable foods such as yogurt, meats, and cut up fruits and vegetables, should remain chilled at 40 degrees F or below to slow down the rate that pathogens will multiply to dangerous levels. Two ice sources should be used with perishable foods, with one ice pack on the bottom of the items and another one on the tops. Frozen individual juice boxes can serve as a cold pack.
- Store your lunch in a refrigerator. If available, you should store your packed lunch in the refrigerator with the bag open. This will allow the chilly air to come in contact with the food to keep it cold until you are ready to eat it.
- Forget about bringing home leftovers. Perishables that are left out at room temperature for more than two hours (likely the time it takes to not only eat the lunch but transport it home), should be tossed as they are unsafe to consume.
- Ditch the sandwich bags. If you use plastic sandwich baggies, they should get tossed after each use to prevent cross contamination with another future food item. Don�t attempt to clean and reuse them.
- Plastic containers,plastic containers, as well as the inside and outside of the lunch bag, should also be thoroughly cleaned with hot soapy water and rinsed clean in between uses. You can now buy nifty plastic containers that have built in freezer packs. (See photo.)
Photo Source: Fit-Fresh.com
Click here for ideas for quick and easy healthy lunches to pack.
Be well, Joan
Twitter at: @JoanSalgeBlake
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