Fruits, vegetables and greens are essential for our health as they provide essential vitamins and minerals. However, these foods must be very well sanitized so that they do not cause any harm to our body.
When choosing and consuming a food, it is not just the nutritional value that counts. It is very important to observe the hygiene conditions in which it is located. Otherwise, the food may contribute to the onset of illness or even death.
Some recommendations are:
- Only touch food before cooking it or when washing it (and with clean hands!);
- Drink only filtered or boiled water;
- Wash vegetables and fruits very well, using chlorinated solution* for 15 minutes;
- Prepare food close to serving time;
- Cook food well. Meat, poultry and fish must be cooked at a temperature above 70°C, to eliminate most contamination;
- Do not mix raw and cooked foods. When cutting a raw chicken, for example, you must wash the knife and cutting board very well before cutting the cooked or roasted bird;
- Avoid using wooden boards and wooden spoons. It is best to use polyethylene boards and sturdy plastic spoons;
- Protect food from insects and animals. They carry microbes that cause disease. The ideal is to store food in closed containers;
- Do not talk, cough or sneeze into food;
- Do not eat foods with a strange appearance, texture or smell;
- Check the expiration date.
*Chlorinated solution: for every 1 liter of water, 1 tablespoon of general-purpose bleach.
Source: http://andreiatorres.blogspot.com/2007/12/como-higienizar-seus-vegetais-e-frutas.html
http://bvsms.saude.gov.br/bvs/publicacoes/cuidado_alimentos.pdf