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Ongoing groups include a weekly drop-in weight loss
group on Thursdays from 4:30 to 5:30 pm (led by
Juleeanna Andreoni, MS, RD / cost:$15 per session)
and weekly group psychotherapy for individuals with
binge eating disorder or bulimia on Tuesdays from 4
to 5:30pm (led by Christine Howard, PsyD / cost: $45
per session). We are now offering a variety of yoga
classes, with an emphasis on beginner yoga. Please
call us for additional information.
For up-to-date information about our upcoming
workshops and classes, please check our website or
give us a call. Registration and payment in advance
are required for all ph&w events and space is limited
to
12 (cooking classes are limited to 6). We strongly
encourage early registration.
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For many of us in Portland, summer is a time for
barbeques, outdoor dinner parties, and picnics. It's
also the time of year when foodborne illnesses are on
the rise and we need to be most careful when we
handle and store our food. Whether you love to camp,
picnic, grill, or entertain outdoors, this article will cover
the basics of how to keep your food safe and avoid
food poisoning throughout these warm summer
months.
Nothing puts outdoor fun on hold like a sudden case
of diarrhea and/or vomiting. While many of us have
been victims of food poisoning at some point in our
lives, we often don't take the proper precautions to
ensure that it doesn't strike again. Just because we
are cooking in the great outdoors, doesn't mean we
should leave our cleanliness standards in the
kitchen. Here are four rules of food handling to keep
your summer outings healthy, fun and free of food
poisoning!
Keep it cold: Always pack a cooler full of ice to
keep
your food fresh before you cook it, and to store leftover
foods for that late night snack. Remember, cold air
travels down so pack at least some of that ice over the
top of your foods. Never leave your food out of the
cooler for more than 2 hours, and if the thermometer
is pushing 90 degrees, stay safe by only letting it sit
un-refrigerated for 1 hour. If your food is sitting in
temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees, it is
susceptible to multiplying bacteria. Heat encourages
bacteria to multiply faster, so the hotter it is outside the
less time your food should sit out before being
properly refrigerated. If you aren't sure if something
sat out too long, throw it away. While no one likes to
waste delicious food, taking a chance may make the
risk of food poisoning more likely.
Keep it separate: Nothing increases your
chances of
food poisoning like contaminating your ready-to-eat
foods with your raw meats. Cutting carrots on the
same board you just used for those chicken breasts
is a sure fire way to encourage the spread of harmful
bacteria.
Always wash your cutting board, knives,
tongs and whatever else touches your raw
meat before putting these items in contact with
anything else. If you use tongs to pick up raw meat,
be sure you clean them before using them to lift the
cooked meat off of the grill.
Keep cooking until it's done: Undercooked
meat can
be a breeding ground for bacteria. Fully cooked meat
is heated to temperatures which kill off these
bacteria. When you think your meat is cooked, slice it
near the bone or in the thickest part of the meat, and
examine the color all the way to the center. Look for
any signs of blood (or a pink hue) which indicate raw
meat. Better yet, use a food thermometer to ensure
that the meat is fully cooked. Beef, veal, and lamb
steaks, roasts, and chops should be cooked to an
internal temperature of 145 °F. Pork, ground beef,
veal, lamb, and tenderized steaks and roasts should
reach an internal temperature of 160 °F. Poultry
should reach a minimum internal temperature of 165 °
F throughout. If you plan to grill at a picnic site, do not
partially cook your meat ahead of time. Doing so
allows bacteria to survive and multiply, and
subsequent cooking will not destroy these organisms.
Keep it clean: Clean hands are essential to
food safety: wash your hands thoroughly and often.
Less obvious are the seemingly ready-to-eat
foods that can
spread harmful
bacteria. For example, a melon's surface should be
scrubbed clean before
slicing due to the fact that melons grow on the ground
and so may come in
contact with fecal matter in the soil. When you slice a
melon, the knife takes the bacteria from the surface of
the melon and distributes it across the fruit which you
are about to consume. If you are going somewhere
which does not allow access to clean water,
consider preparing your food before you leave the
house. Using this strategy, your only priority is
keeping your food cold (under 40 degrees) before
consumption. Also, this puts much less stress on the
cook and dishwasher, allowing everyone to relax and
enjoy the scenery.
There are many different types of food poisoning
ranging in severity from mild to life-threatening. How
you react to food poisoning can depend on your age,
health, and the strength of your immune system. If
you are preparing food for young children, pregnant
women, older people, or someone with a
compromised immune system (including diabetics), it
is wise to exercise caution as a foodborne infection
could be especially dangerous or life-threatening.
While some people can eat mounds of unattended
tuna salad with no difficulty at all, others could eat the
same salad and spend the next day in misery.
Bacteria set up shop in our guts and multiply there,
resulting in an attempt by our body to expel these
bacteria through diarrhea and/or vomiting. Most
cases of food poisoning come and go in a matter of
days, although depending on the strength of your
immune system, it may take a week to overcome the
bacteria. If you experiences symptoms other than
vomiting and diarrhea, such as fever, stiffness,
dizziness etc., you should consult with a healthcare
professional immediately. Left untreated, some
strains of food poisoning can be very dangerous and
even life threatening.
By handling our foods with these safety precautions in
mind, you can enjoy all of your favorite summer dishes
and relax in good health.
by Laurel Shonerd
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roasted sweet onions
This makes a wonderful side dish and is a great way
to prepare and serve onions,
whether you like onions or not. Walla Wallas have a
lovely
sweet flavor that even people who don't like onions
will enjoy. If you are grilling other foods, allow at least
30 minutes of cooking time on medium heat.
2 large Walla Walla onions; coarse salt; olive oil.
SLICE onions into wedges or chunks. PLACE in a
shallow baking dish. DRIZZLE with a tablespoon or
two of good quality olive oil. SPRINKLE with coarse
salt to taste. ROAST in the oven or grill at 350 to 400
degrees until soft. GARNISH with a sprig of fresh
rosemary or thyme. SERVE hot or warm as a side
dish.
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copyright 2007 portland health and wellness We are very interested in your comments and suggestions. Please let us know if you have a topic you would like to see covered in future newsletters. We look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
the staff of
Portland Health and Wellness
email:
infoph_w@comcast.net
phone:
503.236.4506
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