Health And Food Safety In Hot Weather

In the warm weather it's important to think about food safety for families with children. The issues of food and health safety are becoming very important in hot summer weather. As temperature outside is rising, a great environment for growth and development of various bacteria and microorganisms is being formed. Summer weather imposes our health to numerous risks, including dehydration, heat stroke, sunburn, or suffering from food poisoning. These risks can bring to very serious consequences, that is why health and food safety concerns are especially topical in summer.

Summer is the time for vacation, traveling, picnics, other numerous thrilling and amazing outdoor activities. A great deal of people love summer season, but it is necessary to always remember about food and health safety in summer. There are three major health risks we all are exposed to in hot weather:

Dehydration: is a frequent problem is summer, when heat and temperature rises above 45 degree centigrade. Dehydration is a phase, when body loose more water than it consumes or holds. Dehydration can occur due to sunstroke when excess of body fluids are lost due to sun's heat or it can occur due to diarrhoea when body looses excessive body fluids and salts due to loose motions or it can also cause when you do extensive workouts in hot sun. Dehydration can also occur when you have high temperature and body tries to sweat more to reduce the body temperature.

Heatstroke and heat exhaustion can affect anyone: but some people are more sensitive to the heat than others. Elderly people are often the ones at risk because their health may already be frail, and they may be less able to deal with a sudden rise in temperature.

The young are also more vulnerable because they're more sensitive to the sun and prone to dehydration.

People drinking alcohol outside in the sun will also be more prone to dehydration and less aware of the amount of sun they're getting.

Skin burning: With the summer season comes skin tan, skin burning for the sensitive ones, pigmentation of the skin and other sun & heat associated skin issues like fungal infections, excessive sweating, and body odour.

Staying safe in summer, regardless of where you are: enjoying your vacation at the beach, having some healthy vacation time in the mountains, working in your garden or just kicking back in front of your TV, is vital for all of us. Remember that learning as much as possible about health and food safety in hot weather is the best way to reduce the risks for you, your family and your friends.

When thinking about food and health safety in summer season, it is necessary to use common sense and follow very easy guidelines regarding to food choosing, transporting and preserving. The effects of hot summer weather and leaving our foods out for some time causes our foods get broken, and it is usually not easy to feel dangerous bacteria, especially on early stages of the invasion. Below, there are some hot weather food tips for everyone of is concerned for own health and food safety, especially in hot weather.

Food And Health SafetyWhen it is too hot and you do not want to use a stove or oven, go for fresh vegetable salads with tuna fish, olives, eggs, seafood, or pasta, with come olive oil and lemon juice. Also, using fruit salad can be a good idea, you can enrich it with some cottage cheese, nuts, herbs, or seeds.

Try to decrease the time for strong meat even in the fridge, or better buy meat or poultry right before cooking it. Keep cooked and row meat (and other foods) separate, when storing and during the cooking process.

Also, avoid buying cooked meat from unknown sellers because improperly cooked meat gets broken very fast, especially in hot weather (sometimes, just 30-40 minutes can be enough for improperly cooked meat turning into a terrible source of bacteria and toxins).

Be very careful when buying and storing eggs in summer season as this natural food starts to rotten very fast in hot temperatures. Summer is the season when it is very easy to buy stale eggs in most of our markets and stores. Always store your eggs in the fridge, preferably in a closed container.

If you rather go for buying prepared meals but still think about health and food safety of yours and your family, avoid buying salads, pizzas and other ready meals with sauces like mayonnaise, tomato sauce, and others.

Be especially careful when buying dairy products as a great share of food poisoning cases is caused by consuming bad yogurts, milk shakes, etc. Experts say that dairy products are one of the best types of environment for pathogenic bacteria growth.

In summer season, wash your hands, dishes, cutting boards, other kitchenware, counter, kitchen towels and cloths, more often and more thoroughly.