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HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
How to barbecue safely
The summer is finally here! But if you’ re planning on a barbecue, it pays to be careful, especially if you want to avoid food poisoning.
Barbecues can be great fun, but it’ s all too easy to make yourself unwell
In the UK, a million people a year suffer from food poisoning, with barbecue season being one of the biggest culprits. Most food poisoning is caused by a bacteria called Campylobacter and according to the Food Standards Agency, it is present in more than 65 % of chickens on sale in the UK. A recent survey even found it on 6 % of the outside packaging of supermarket chickens. So what’ s the best way to avoid getting sick this summer? Here are some tips:
Keep your food preparation area clean and tidy. Use separate utensils to handle raw food, food that’ s being cooked, and food that’ s ready to eat.
When it comes to chicken, it’ s a very good idea to cook it in the oven prior to giving it a final‘ finish’ on your barbecue.
Cook your food thoroughly. It needs to be piping hot. If you’ re unsure, cook it for longer. Everyone loves the burnt bits anyway!
Disposable barbecues take longer to heat up and to cook food than a gas barbecue. Give it time, there’ s no rush.
The most at risk from all the barbecue bugs are children and older people, so look after them. Keep plates and cutlery well away from raw food.
For more top tips, visit food. gov. uk
Podcasts
Podcasts are free radio talk shows that you can listen to online or download to your smartphone. There are hundreds of podcasts for every topic- here are our favourites about health and wellbeing:
Sawbones Discussion about a different medical ailment each week
Tiny Leaps, Big Changes Insightful advice on anxiety, stress and motivation
The Hilarious World of Depression Interviews with comedians about their own mental health issues
Turkey Couscous
You will need turkey slices, salad leaves, couscous, pomegranate seeds.
Tear the turkey up and add to the salad and couscous. Drizzle with olive oil. Toss well. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.