With the stomach and other digestive organs in a state of perfect health condition, one is entirely ignorant of their very existence, except when of feeling of hunger brings alertness to the fact that food is essential, or an alarm bell warns us that a adequate amount or too much has been eaten. Perfect digestion can only be maintained by cautiously monitoring all of the rules of health in regard eating habits.

On the subject of ‘Digestion and Hygiene’, I would like to quote a few paragraphs from Dr. Kellogg’s work on Physiology; it provides a brief outline of the more important points concerning this issue:

“The hygiene of digestion has to do with the quality and quantity of food eaten, in the manner of eating it.

If the food is eaten too rapidly, it will not be properly divided, and when swallowed in coarse lumps, the digestive fluids cannot readily act upon it. On account of the insufficient mastication, the saliva will be deficient in quantity, and, as a consequence, the starch will not be well digested, and the stomach will not secrete a sufficient amount of gastric juice. It is not well to eat only soft or liquid food, as we are likely to swallow it without proper chewing. A considerable proportion of hard food, which requires thorough mastication, should be eaten at every meal.

Drinking Freely at Meals is harmful, as it not only encourages hasty eating, but dilutes the gastric juice, and thus lessens its activity. The food should be chewed until sufficiently moistened by saliva to allow it to be swallowed. When large quantities of fluid are taken into the stomach, digestion does not begin until a considerable portion of the fluid has been absorbed. If cold foods or drinks are taken with the meal, such as ice-cream, ice-water, iced milk or tea, the stomach is chilled, and a long delay in the digestive process is occasioned.

Eating Between Meals

The habit of eating apples, nuts, fruits, confectionery, etc., between meals is exceedingly harmful, and certain to produce loss of appetite and indigestion. The stomach as well as the muscles and other organs of the body requires rest. The frequency with which meals should be taken depends somewhat upon the age and occupation of an individual. Infants take their food at short intervals, and owing to its simple character, are able to digest it very quickly. Adults should not take food oftener than three times a day; and persons whose employment is sedentary say, in many cases at least, adopt with advantage the plan of the ancient Greeks, who ate but twice a day.

Simplicity in Diet.

Taking too many kinds of food at a meal is a common fault which is often a cause of disease of the digestive-organs. Those nations are the most hardy and enduring whose dietary is most simple. The Scotch peasantry live chiefly upon oatmeal, the Irish upon potatoes, milk, and oatmeal, the Italian upon peas, beans, macaroni, and chestnuts; yet all these are noted for remarkable health and endurance. The natives of the Canary Islands, an exceedingly well-developed and vigorous race, subsist almost chiefly upon a food which they call gofio, consisting of parched grain, coarsely ground in a mortar and mixed with water.

Eating When Tired.

It is not well to eat when exhausted by violent exercise, as the system is not prepared to do the work of digestion well. Sleeping immediately after eating is also a harmful practice. The process of digestion cannot well be performed during sleep, and sleep is disturbed by the ineffective efforts of the digestive organs. Hence the well-known evil effects of late suppers.

Eating Too Much.

Hasty eating is the greatest cause of over-eating. When one eats too rapidly, the food is crowded into the stomach so fast that nature has no time to cry, ‘Enough,’ by taking away the appetite before too much has been eaten. When an excess of food is taken, it is likely to ferment or sour before it can be digested. One who eats too much usually feels dull after eating.”

As you can see there are more than way to get food poisoning. Take care with your eating habits.

Image Credit Flickr.com

Being a professional chef and a kitchen worker, self sanitation is very important. Since you are a food handler, you have to learn about the level of cleanliness and hygiene in and around the kitchen. So make sure that food poisoning organisms and other contaminants will not reach the food you are handling.

First of all, you will have to facilitate hand washing on your part. Hand washing is essential to self sanitation. This is the only way you can make sure that you will not contaminate anything at the basic level.

Here are things you can do and things you must avoid to expedite hand washing in the kitchen area.

1. Limit yourself to one wedding band, without stone.

2. You must not wear watches and bracelets as it interfere with hand washing. These items will also collect food that may spoil or contaminate other food.

3. Watch should not be hooked between uniform button and uniform.

4. Female kitchen employees may only wear stud earrings. Males are discouraged from earrings.

5. Fingernails need to be trimmed short and easy to clean.

Proper hand washing is so essential in the basic sanitation and hygiene in the kitchen environment. You should wash your hands before starting work and after going to the restroom, touching money, raw food, your face, hair or skin. You should also wash your hands when you sneeze or blow your nose and when you are handling or cleaning rubbish or dirty things.

1. Use warm water when washing your hands.

2. Use soap and build up a good lather.

3. Use a nail brush to clean nails. Always make sure your nails are short so it can be cleaned faster.

4. Rinse and repeat.

5. Dry Hands with disposable towel or air drier. Don’t use your apron as a hand towel.

Suffice it to say, hand washing is the most basic thing you can do when it comes to kitchen sanitation. One should be really wary and knowledgeable on how to facilitate hand washing in the workplace to avoid contamination and disease.

Just follow the tips and tricks above and you will be fairly sanitized always. On the next discussion, personal grooming will be discussed at length.

Image Credit Flickr.com

When asked to define hygiene. Most people answer “Cleanliness” or some action, practice, process or habit associated with cleaning.

Obviously, this is a good theoretical interpretation but this within itself is somewhat limited when applied to the food handling industry.

In the hotel and catering industry where people are constantly handling food and equipment during the preparation, cooking and service of food it is necessary to clearly define what must be cleaned.

The four most important areas for cleanliness in any food handling operation must be the food, the equipment, the premises and the people themselves.

Consequently, an ideal practical definition of food hygiene could be Clean food being handled by clean people using clean equipment whilst working in a clean premises.

To learn more about `what is food hygiene” it is necessary to take each part of the definition and consider it in some detail.

Clean Food: It is the consumption of food that is contaminated with food-poisoning bacteria that is the result of bad hygiene practice. Consequently, it is essential to know those food stuffs that are the most likely source of such pathogenic bacteria. Bacteria which cause food poisoning thrive on many foods regularly consumed by humans, particularly meat, poultry, fish, milk, cream and dairy products. Meat is often contaminated with bacteria before it reaches the kitchen. Correct cooking will, of course, kill off such a contamination, however, if the cooking process is ineffective, incubation of the bacteria inside a large joint can take place.

The food poisoning risks associated with poultry, particularly frozen poultry, are very high, often resulting from the recycling of contaminated feed stocks. Frozen birds are especially a prime suspect because if not adequately defrosted, then cooking may become an incubation process rather than a sterilizing process.

Although some foods are already contaminated before the reach the kitchen, the level of contamination may not is sufficient to cause problems. However, if that food is stored in a nice warm area of the kitchen, the very rapid growth of bacteria will become a very great risk. Consequently, proper attention to the correct storage of foods is essential.

Clean People: Due to the fact that people are a great source of germs entering food preparation areas. Attention to personal standards of hygiene is extremely important.

The hands can be a great source of danger by allowing germs to spread from equipment to foods, and vice versa.

Hands should be washed frequently, particularly:

1. Immediately after each visit to the toilet

2. Immediately after handling refuses

3. Before handling foods especially cooked foods

4. After coffee or lunch breaks

5. After blowing your nose.

Cuts and abrasions can also be a prime source of germs and must be kept covered with a clean, washable dressing.

No smoking should be allowed in the food preparation area. Clean protective clothing must be worn by everyone in the kitchen.

Illness, particularly if associated with diarrhea and sickness, must be reported to management.

Knives, forks, glasses and all items of tableware should be handled with care to prevent the possibilities of cross-infection.

Clean Equipment: In today’s modern commercial kitchen a wide range of equipment is used, including sophisticated ovens and steamers, slices, mixers, miners, peelers, as well as shelving, benches and preparation surfaces.

However, unless each piece of equipment is of good design and installed in such a way as to be readily accessible for cleaning.

Experience shows that items which are difficult to “get at” and difficult to clean, will quickly become dirty and remain so.

The cross-contamination dangers are obvious, particular concerning those items of equipment which are used for both cooked and raw foods, slices, mixers, and miners.

The only means of maintaining good hygiene standards is to train all staff in kitchen on the dangers of dirty equipment and to provide cleaning or hygiene schedules which clearly identify the following points:

1. The item to be cleaned

2. The correct detergent or sanitize to be used

3. The frequency with which the operation is to be carried out.

4. The method of cleaning and sanitizing

5. Who is to be responsible for doing the job?

Clean Premises: Good design and layout is the essence of encouraging good hygienic practice in the commercial kitchen environment.

All practical steps must be taken to prevent infestations of flies, cockroaches, mice and rats. Particular attention must be paid to ducting, ventilators, cupboards and drainage facilities.

Floors and walls must be constructed of smooth, impervious materials which encourage cleaning. Ceilings should be capable of being easily cleaned and resist condensation.

Adequate hand washing facilities must be available including hot and cold water supplies, soap, a nail-brush and a suitable supply of clean disposable toweling.

The four actors i.e. food, people, equipment and premises, combine to form a useful understanding of many of the problems associated with kitchen practices and also a sound basis for encouraging the GOOD HYGIENE HABIT.

Hygiene Economics

The setting of hygiene standards are always related to cost effectiveness.

Nobody expects or requires eating in the sterile conditions of an operation room.

Consequently to ensure the maximum economy for the required hygiene standards, five basic steps should be satisfied

Use the PRODUCT

In the RIGHT AMOUNT

By the RIGHT METHOD

At the RIGHT TIME

To achieve the RIGHT RESULT

If all these factors are satisfied then it is logical that the RIGHT ECONOMY must also be achieved.