All The Info You Need About Coronavirus & Food Safety
The current global situation is something most of us weren’t prepared for. Just leaving your home is stressful, for good reason.
And it doesn’t help that there seems to be a lot of misinformation going around.
This misinformation seems especially bad when it comes to food. Understocked or empty supermarket shelves make people worry about food shortages.
Misunderstandings about how COVID-19 spreads have people afraid to touch food packaging. And just going to the grocery store is more of a strain than some people want to put themselves through.
Organizations like the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control have, thankfully, put a lot of good information on their sites. They also regularly update the information to reflect the most recent information they have on the virus.
BRAND-NEW: The Absolute BEST Supplements For Weight Loss… As Proven By Science & Recommended by DoctorsHowever, regularly going to these sites and reading through all of the information can be overwhelming for some people. And when it comes to things like food safety, there is an added level of fear.
That is why I have gone through these sites… and brought together the best and most current information on how to safely prepare food during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Important Facts About COVID-19
Before we talk about food, there are a few things about COVID-19 you need to know.
The first thing is that the virus is respiratory. This means that it affects your breathing… not your stomach.
So if you’re experiencing stomach problems, you can be certain that COVID-19 did not cause them.
The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are aggressive coughing and a fever. Things like sneezing, stomachaches, and vomiting are not associated with the virus at all.
Keeping these facts in mind can help put your mind at ease… especially if you eat something that doesn’t agree with you or if your allergies flare up.
It is also important to know that the virus can survive anywhere from a few hours to a few days on a surface. (In the provided link, the question is listed about 3/4 of the way down.)
But this is only if the surface has been contaminated. If you’re concerned that a surface may be contaminated, however… you just need to use a simple disinfectant.
Spray cleaners are best. Please, do not microwave items to disinfect them.
BRAND-NEW: Research Shows These 3 Sugar Substitutes Are Best For Burning Fat (Plus 2 You Should NEVER Eat)This is a trend at the moment… but most packaging, money, and plastic goods are not meant to be microwaved.
Washing your hands properly is still the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones.
If you’re concerned about contamination, make sure you wash your hands every time you come home… and after you unpack groceries since this is the only reason most people leave their homes right now.
Grocery Shopping Safety
Despite a small number of people pushing for businesses to open again… health experts agree that we need to continue social isolation. This is to ensure that the virus’s death toll stays as low as possible.
This means that grocery shopping is one of the few reasons most people should be leaving their homes right now.
Although it is necessary to leave your home for food, you should still do your best to reduce social contact. If you can afford to have your groceries delivered, that is the best option.
This is especially true if the company offers no-contact delivery. Picking your groceries up after a grocery staff member packs them is also a good way to reduce your exposure risk.
If you have to go into the store, there are a few things you can do to keep yourself healthy.
The first is to wear gloves and a mask. Your hands will stay clean and you run a lower risk of breathing in contaminants.
Just be sure you don’t adjust your mask very much. This can actually increase your exposure risk since you will be touching your face.
For more information on how to properly wear a mask, check out this page from the World Health Organization.
Another way to protect yourself at the store is to maintain a 6-foot distance from other people whenever possible. This might seem like a lot, but it’s just two arms’ lengths.
You can also bring your own bags from home or choose paper bags so that you can recycle them when you are done with them.
Once you get your food home, there are a few more precautions you can take.
TRENDING: Science Reveals Easy, No-Workout Ways to Lose Weight… While You Snooze!If your food is packaged in plastic, you can wipe it down with a disinfectant or soapy water. Soap, as it turns out, is very effective in breaking down the COVID-19 virus.
You should also wash all fruits and vegetables… though that is a good rule in general. (Don’t use a disinfectant on your fruits and vegetables! Warm water (and white vinegar, if you want) is plenty.)
And, of course, wash your hands when you are done putting everything away, even if you wore gloves.
Cooking Safety
COVID-19 is not spread through food. It is spread through the droplets that fly out when people cough, sneeze, and breathe.
So, there are no special preparations you need to use when making food right now.
This is, however, a very good time to make sure you are following standard food safety practices. The FDA has a wonderful page on food safety that everyone—from home cooks to professional chefs—should be familiar with.
The first step is to wash your hands before preparing food. It doesn’t matter what you were doing prior to cooking. You need to wash your hands properly.
You should also wash your hands before preparing simple foods like sandwiches… before you put away clean dishes… and after you’re through cooking.
While cooking, be sure you use one cutting board for your vegetables and another for any raw meat you’re working with.
The cutting board you use for your meat should be exclusively used for raw meat to avoid any possible contamination from food-borne bacteria. You should also sanitize this board more regularly than your other cutting boards… because of the risks associated with handling raw meat.
And finally, when you are done cooking, make sure that you store your leftovers promptly. Leaving food out for more than a few hours lets bacteria grow and gives pests a chance to land.
Cut that risk out by putting away leftovers as soon as dinner is done.
The Takeaway
You’re not going to contract COVID-19 from your food unless an infected person coughs directly on it… or you refuse to wash your hands before cooking or eating.
BRAND-NEW: This “Golden Herb” Supplement Reduces Chronic Pain & InflammationBut that doesn’t mean you should skip general food safety or go easy on social distancing when you’re out getting groceries.
In the words of Douglas Adams, “Don’t Panic.” Just remember to keep two arms’ lengths between you and people you don’t know… avoid touching your face… wash your hands often… and stay safe at home.
COVID-19 has not yet run its course. It is up to all of us to be smart, stay safe, and help each other through this global crisis.
Even If You Practice Good Grocery Shopping Habits, You Could Be Putting Your Entire Family At Risk If You Don’t Do THIS…
One of the scariest things about this whole situation for me personally… is that even if you don’t exhibit a SINGLE symptom of the virus… you could still have it… and could pass it along to loved ones.
Which means that if you are going out and running errands, or making trips to the grocery store… it’s absolutely essential that you protect your immune system… and keep it in good fighting shape, just in case.
And one of the most powerful precautions you can take?
A recent study out of China identified 3 probiotic strains that are scientifically proven to lower your risk of upper respiratory infection(!)… and can even potentially prevent you from contracting flu-like symptoms.[1]
Which is honestly REALLY groundbreaking… because this means you can fight and prevent the flu and other respiratory infections from home, without needing to go out and get antibiotics or a prescription.
(Plus, considering even something as simple as the common cold or allergy flare-ups can get you death stares when you’re out these days… this is pretty powerful stuff to have on-hand!)
The only problem?
Up until now, there were almost NO probiotic supplements on the market that contained all 3 of these infection-fighting strains…
… and even if you ate an entire gallon of probiotic-rich yogurt, sauerkraut, or kimchi every day, you still wouldn’t get enough of these 3 strains to actually do much for your health.
Fortunately, we did the research, and discovered one supplement that does… and even better, it’s recommended by a famous medical doctor: