As a result of your illness or treatment you are much less able to fight infections. One way that you can get an infection is through your food.

 

The foods most likely to cause problems are raw or partially cooked meat, unpasteurised milk (green top), raw or partially cooked eggs, soft cheeses, blue cheeses, patés, salad, ready to eat poultry, cooked chilled foods (if the instructions are not followed properly), Chinese or Indian takeaways, and any food with mould growing on it. Other foods may become contaminated because of poor hygiene.

 

The following advice should help you to choose suitable foods, and also advise on the best ways to prepare and cook them, to cut down the risk of infection. This diet is sometimes known as the neutropenic or clean diet.

Having plenty of nourishment is particularly important when you are ill or having treatment. If you are unable to eat well, the dietician can advise you on suitable alternative foods

 

Tips for Safe Food Handling

Take chilled and frozen food home quickly and put it straight into your fridge or freezer. Bacteria can multiply much faster in warm conditions such as a car, office or kitchen. A cool bag or cool box is useful for taking foods home.

Never refreeze foods once they have thawed out.

Keep the coldest part of your fridge at 0 - 5ºC. You will need a fridge thermometer. Above 5ºC, bacteria multiply much more quickly.

Always store food in clean dry containers.

Keep foods covered.

Tinned foods, once opened, should be kept in the fridge. They should be transferred to a non-metallic container, and eaten within 24 hours. Avoid damaged tins.

Defrost foods thoroughly, in the fridge or in the microwave on defrost, rather than in a warm kitchen.

Check use by dates on food and use well within the recommended time. Also check labels for where to store, and how long food can be used once opened.

Take great care to avoid contact between cooked or ready to eat foods and raw food, both in storage and preparation. Be particularly careful with raw meat, Store cooked food on a higher shelf than raw meat. Don't use the same knife or chopping board for raw meat and cooked foods, unless washed in detergent or disinfectant in between. It is best to disinfect your work top after preparing raw meat.

Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before touching food, after going to the toilet, and after touching pets, dirty washing, the rubbish bin, cat litter or soil. Also, wash hands after handling raw meat. This applies to all your household.

Keep pets away from food, dishes and work tops.

Always cook food thoroughly. Avoid cooking food in the microwave or on the barbecue. It is safe to heat food from tins, or UHT meals in the microwave, as these are already sterile.

Leftovers should only be eaten if cooled within one hour, then covered and placed in the fridge. Use within 24 hours. Foods cool quicker in small quantities. A good way to cool food quickly is to place it in an uncovered container and stand it in cold water. Regular changes of water, or adding ice cubes or an ice pack to the water, will further speed up cooling.

Wash eggs before use and then wash your hands. The surface of them is often contaminated with salmonella. Salmonella is so widespread in the United States that many eggs are infected while developing inside hens and then the bacteria multiplies rapidly during storage and shipment.

Do not reheat foods more than once. Any foods to be reheated must be cooled quickly (see leftovers), then either stored in the fridge and used within 24 hours, or frozen. They must be reheated in the oven until piping hot.

Cooked chilled foods may only be eaten if bought from reputable shops, kept cool on the way home, stored in the fridge and heated until piping hot in a conventional oven

Keep your kitchen clean. Fridge's, work surfaces, sinks and taps should be cleaned regularly with mild disinfectant solution or detergent and water. Kitchen sponges, dishrags and teatowels are often contaminated with bacteria from meat, poultry, eggs or shellfish and can spread infectious microbes all over the kitchen. Stick with dishrags and rinse them thoroughly after use and then throw them in the microwave for 4 or 5 minutes. Keep the teatowels washed regularly.

 

Make Use Of Your Cleaners

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