Healthy Eating As You Get Older

How to Eat Safely

Whether you cook for yourself at home, eat out, or have ready-to-eat meals brought in, you want the food you eat to be tasty and safe. Eating safely means making sure the food you consume is properly handled, prepared, and stored. It also means knowing when not to eat certain foods. Eating safely is especially important for older adults, who may be less able to fight off foodborne illness. Learning about food safety can help make your meals safe as well as enjoyable.

Avoid Foodborne Illness

Food safety is a vital part of staying well. Each year, about 76 million people in the United States become ill from eating contaminated foods. Of those, about 5,000 die. These illnesses may come from eating foods contaminated with bacteria, viruses, or parasites. Illnesses you get from contaminated food are called foodborne illnesses, also known as food poisoning.

Foodborne illness can affect anyone, but older adults are at increased risk. As we age, our bodies produce less stomach acid, making it harder to get rid of harmful bacteria that enter our digestive system. Our digestion may slow down, allowing harmful bacteria to stay in our bodies longer. Also, changes in smell and taste can keep us from knowing when food is spoiled.

Foodborne illnesses can cause serious health problems for older adults. An older person who gets a foodborne illness is likely to be sicker longer, and if hospitalized, is likely to have a longer hospital stay.

There are many reasons why foodborne illnesses affect us today. People are eating more meals outside the home and consuming more food that is prepared by others. Much of the food we consume is delivered over longer distances. Also, harmful bacteria that are more resistant to drugs are finding their way onto foods.

Foodborne illnesses can be dangerous. Many are caused by bacteria such as E. coli and salmonella, which can cause serious health problems. But if you follow good food safety practices, you can reduce your risk of getting sick from these and other harmful bacteria.

It can be difficult to know when harmful bacteria in food have made you sick. After all, you can’t see, smell, or taste the bacteria the food may contain. If you get a foodborne illness, you might have upset stomach, abdominal pain, vomiting, or diarrhea. Or, you could have flu-like symptoms with a fever and headache, and body aches. Sometimes people confuse foodborne illness with other types of illness.

Many times people think their foodborne illness was caused by their last meal, but that may not be true. The time between eating the contaminated food and the onset of illness can vary widely. Usually, foodborne bacteria take 1 to 3 days to cause illness. But you could become sick anytime from 30 minutes to 3 weeks after eating some foods with dangerous bacteria. Whether you actually get sick or not depends on a variety of factors, including the type of bacteria in the food.

If you think you have a foodborne illness, you should take these steps.

1. Contact your doctor or health care provider. Seek medical treatment as necessary.
2. Preserve the food in question. Wrap it securely, label it “Danger”, and freeze it. The food may be used to diagnose your illness and prevent others from getting sick.

If you think you have a foodborne illness, you should take these steps

1. Save all packaging materials, such as cans or cartons. Write down the food, the date and time consumed, and save any identical unopened products. Report the contaminated food to the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-674-6854.
2. Call your local health department if you think you became ill from food you ate at a local restaurant or other eating establishment so they can investigate.

Getting ill from eating contaminated food can be very serious. However, the good news is that if you know how to handle, prepare, store, and consume foods safely, you can reduce your risk of getting a foodborne illness.

Keep Food Safe

Handling foods safely is an important part of staying healthy. If your food is not safely prepared, it can make you or someone else sick. Many older adults are used to cooking for themselves, while others, such as recent widowers, may have little cooking experience. It is important for anyone who handles food or cooks their own meals to know how to keep food safe and avoid foodborne illness.

Take these simple steps to avoid foodborne illnesses when handling and preparing food.

• Wash your hands before and after handling food.
• Wash cooking items frequently during food preparation.
• Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables thoroughly.
• Thaw frozen foods properly.
• Cook foods to safe internal temperatures.

Take these simple steps to avoid foodborne illnesses when handling and preparing food.

• Store foods properly.
• Keep raw and ready-to-eat foods separate.
• Avoid some foods entirely.
• Pay attention to expiration dates.

Whether at home or away from home, be sure to wash your hands with soap and warm water before and after handling food and after using the bathroom, changing diapers, and handling pets. Hand washing is especially important after handling raw meat, poultry, fish, seafood, and eggs.

To wash your hands, wet them, apply soap, and rub them together vigorously for at least 20 seconds. Rinse your hands under clean, running, warm water. Dry your hands completely with a clean paper towel or cloth towel.

Wash cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and counter tops with hot, soapy water after preparing each food item and before you go on to the next food. Also, use hot, soapy water to clean up spills in the refrigerator. Some bacteria can still grow slowly at refrigerator temperatures.

Be sure to rinse fresh fruits and vegetables under running tap water, including those with skins and rinds that are not eaten. Do not use detergent or bleach.

Unlike fruits and vegetables, raw meats and poultry do not need to be washed. Washing these raw foods might get rid of some bacteria but can increase the chance of spreading bacteria to other foods, surfaces, and utensils. Cooking these foods to a safe internal temperature will destroy any bacteria on the food.

If you plan to use frozen foods, thaw them safely. Don’t put frozen foods on the counter to thaw at room temperature. Instead, put the food in the refrigerator. Keep the juices from thawing meats and poultry from dripping onto other foods by putting them in containers or on a plate. Raw juices may contain harmful bacteria.

For faster thawing, put the frozen food in a leak-proof plastic bag and immerse it in cold water. Change the water every 30 minutes, and cook the food immediately after thawing. You can also thaw food in a microwave if you plan to cook it right away.

Meat and poultry need to be cooked to certain temperatures to kill harmful bacteria. Cook these foods to the following safe internal temperatures.

• Beef, veal, and lamb steaks, roasts, and chops should be cooked to 145 °F.
• Ground beef, veal, and lamb should be cooked to 160 °F.
• Pork should be cooked to 160 °F
• All poultry should reach a minimum internal temperature of 165 °F.

Use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of the food.

Fish, seafood, and eggs need to be cooked to certain temperatures to kill harmful bacteria. Cook these foods to the following safe internal temperatures.

• Fish and seafood should be cooked to 145 °F.
• Eggs should be cooked to 160 °F.
• Leftovers should be reheated to 165 °F.

Use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of the food.

It is important to store foods properly. You should refrigerate or freeze meat, poultry, fish, seafood, and eggs. Never let these foods, or cut fresh vegetables or fruit, sit at room temperatures for more than two hours before storing in the refrigerator or freezer. If the temperature in the room is 90 degrees Fahrenheit or above, you should put the food away after one hour.

Most foods are safe after cooking to a safe internal temperature and refrigerating promptly. Keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot. Bacteria grow quickly in the “danger zone” between 40 degrees and 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

When keeping food hot for serving, it should be kept at an internal temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Just keeping food warm (40 to140 degrees Fahrenheit) is not safe enough. Use a food thermometer to monitor the internal temperature of the food. If you plan to eat at a later time, you should divide the food into smaller portions or pieces, place it in shallow containers, and refrigerate it.

To keep cold foods cold, set your refrigerator at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below and your freezer at 0 degrees Fahrenheit or below. Use an appliance thermometer to check the temperatures.

Don’t keep refrigerated leftovers more than 3 to 4 days. Even if the food looks and smells fine, it may not be safe to eat after that time. If you question the safety of any food, throw it out without tasting it.

Be sure to separate different types of foods while shopping and when preparing or storing them. When handling raw meat, poultry, fish, seafood, and eggs, keep these foods and their juices away from ready-to-eat foods. Use one cutting board for fresh fruits and vegetables and a separate one for raw meat, poultry, fish, seafood, and eggs. Don’t place cooked food on a plate that held raw meat, poultry, fish, seafood, or eggs unless you first wash the plate with hot, soapy water.

Avoid these foods to reduce your chance of getting foodborne illness.

• raw or undercooked meat, poultry, fish, or seafood
• unpasteurized (raw) milk, milk products, and juices
• raw or partially cooked eggs and foods made with raw eggs such as raw cookie dough and cake batter, protein milkshakes, and Caesar salad dressing

Avoid these foods to reduce your chance of getting foodborne illness.

• hot dogs and luncheon meats, unless they are reheated until steaming hot or 165 degrees Fahrenheit
• soft cheeses like Brie and Camembert, unless labeled “made with pasteurized milk”. Pasteurized food has been heated to high enough temperatures to destroy disease-causing organisms.
• uncooked sprouts, such as bean, alfalfa, clover, or radish sprouts

Pay attention to “sell-by” and “use-by” dates on packages and cartons. The “sell-by” date tells the store how long to offer a product for sale. Don’t buy an item after the “sell-by” date. The “use-by” date is the last date that the manufacturer of the product suggests is best for consuming the food. If an item has a “use-by” date, throw it out after the date has passed.

Eating Out, Bringing In

In the past, many people grocery shopped nearly every day and cooked their own food at home. Eating in restaurants was saved for special occasions. But times have changed. Today, many older adults find it easier and more convenient to eat out at a restaurant, or get ready-to-eat foods from a deli, take-out counter, or grocery store.

Eating out can be an enjoyable experience, offering a way to socialize with friends or family, eat delicious food, and be free of cooking duties for a while. But wherever you choose to eat out – at a diner, a restaurant, or a senior center – there are things you can do to make sure the food you eat is safe.

When you go out to eat, check out the eating establishment to see how clean it is. Are the dishes clean? Are the floors swept? Are the bathrooms sanitary? If not, you may be better off finding somewhere else to eat. If the dining room is dirty, the kitchen may be too. A dirty kitchen may lead to unsafe food.

When you eat out, always order your food well done. If you order food containing meat, poultry, fish, seafood, or eggs, make sure these foods are thoroughly cooked. Don’t hesitate to ask your food server how the food is prepared before placing your order. If the server is not sure or does not know, ask to speak with the chef to make sure these foods will be not be served raw or undercooked.

Take a good look at your food when it is served to you. If you ordered a hot meal, make sure it’s served to you piping hot. If it’s not hot enough, or if it just doesn’t look right to you, send it back.

When eating out, you should steer clear of the same foods that you avoid at home. Besides not eating raw or undercooked meat, poultry, fish, seafood, and eggs, older adults should also not eat unpasteurized milk and juice products, raw sprouts, and hot dogs and luncheon meats that have not been reheated to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you ask for a doggie bag, make sure to refrigerate your leftovers within two hours of receiving the food, and within one hour if air temperature is 90 degrees Fahrenheit or above. If you will not be getting home soon enough, put the food in a cooler with ice or freezer gel packs to keep it cold. If this is not possible, it is better to leave the leftovers at the restaurant.

Today, you have lots of choices if you prefer not to cook but still wish to eat at home. There are convenience foods, hot and cold foods available from supermarket delis, and delivered meals from restaurants or from programs like Meals on Wheels. But whether hot or cold, these ready-to-eat meals are perishable and can cause illness if you don’t handle them properly. Never let perishable items, prepared foods, or leftovers sit at room temperature more than two hours before putting them in the refrigerator or freezer.

Whether you buy hot food or have it delivered, you should keep it hot and eat it within 2 hours of receiving it. Just keeping it warm is not good enough because harmful bacteria can grow rapidly at temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit (the danger zone).

If you don’t plan to eat the food within two hours of receiving it, keep it hot, at a temperature of 140 Fahrenheit or above. You may use a preheated oven, chafing dishes, warming trays, or slow cookers. Use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of the food. If you are eating the food much later, divide it into small portions, place it in shallow containers, and refrigerate or freeze it.

Cold foods that you buy or have delivered should be kept cold, at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below. Refrigerate cold food within two hours of receiving it, or within 1 hour if temperatures are 90 degrees Fahrenheit or above.

If you want to reheat your meal – whether you bought it hot and then refrigerated it or bought it cold – you should heat it to 165 degrees Fahrenheit until it is hot and steaming. When reheating food in the microwave oven, cover and rotate the food for even heating. Allow the food to stand a short while before checking the internal temperature with a food thermometer.

Don’t hesitate to get rid of food that is no longer safe. Throw away any perishable food that is left at room temperature for more than two hours. Don’t keep refrigerated leftovers more than 3 to 4 days. Even if the food looks and smells fine, it may not be safe to eat after that time.

Content Created/Medically Reviewed by our Expert Doctors