For most of us, any illness brought by food would be termed as food poisoning. But the medical world defines terms rather specifically, pointing at food poisoning as something to do with toxins and while illnesses that are caused by bacteria or parasites to be termed as food poisoning.

Since we know that toxins, bacteria, and parasites may cause food illness, it’s only logical to make sure we don’t contaminate food with them. I you’re a big fan of Good Eats guy, Alton Brown, then you would have noticed that he’s always keen on keeping things clean and always avoid cross-contamination.

Here are some tips on avoiding food poisoning.

• Store food properly. Here are some some tips on storing canned goods and left-overs.
• Throw away anything that has a funny smell or growth on it. Track expiration dates.
• Keep kitchen utensils, countertops, and work surfaces clean. Wash your hands with warm water and soap before you touch food stuff. Also, wash you hands after handling raw meat.
• Use separate chopping boards for poultry, fish, meat and veggies. Some studies show that wood chopping boards are more sanitary than plastic.
• If you preserve food by canning, follow the instructions to avoid botulism. Canning temperatures for fruits should be at around 212* F and meats at 240* F.
• Make sure you keep food items like meat frozen properly. Avoid see-sawing temperatures. Rising temperatures encourage bacterial growth.
• Thaw frozen meats first in the refrigerator first before cooking them. Make sure you cook them right after it has thawed.
• Meat that’s cooked bloody and rare can still retain some microbes in them since it may not have reached the proper temperature to cook them out. A trick would be to raise the internal temperature to 145-165* of the food.
• Be especially wary of ground meat. Grinding equipment is very susceptible to contaminants. Cook them at 165* F until juices run clear not pink or red.
• So invest on a good food thermometer.
• Remember these four important things: Store. Freeze. Clean. Cook.