Summer is just around the corner and with the hot weather comes various fun activities surrounding food.
Barbeques and picnics can be a good way to round up friends and family, but things can quickly turn sour if someone comes down with food poisoning.
Pharmacist and owner of Ingersoll Pharmasave Chris Hartman has insisted that proper preparation is the best way to prevent food poisoning from happening.
"It's just about getting into cooking and food preparation habits. For instance, if you're cooking meats, use a food thermometer. Really focus on hitting the right temperature depending on the kind of meat you're cooking," he said.
Food poising is a very common illness in the summer. Hartman said that poor storing of food outdoors is an easy way for food to go bad.
"A lot of the times [there's] more socializing outdoors. So, you're preparing things, you're cooking more meats and leaving them potentially sitting outside for longer," he said.
How can you be sure that you are actually a victim of eating spoiled food? Hartman says that there are some telltale signs to look out for.
"Nausea and vomiting would be the big thing and then abdominal pain or belly pain and diarrhea can be something that comes up," said Hartman.
Thankfully, in most cases, Hartman said the symptoms will pass after 24 hours. He insists that going to a pharmacy can help. Although, some of the symptoms can also be soothed at home.
"The number one thing would be to focus on staying hydrated. So, if you do run into nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, you're going to be losing a lot of liquid and you also lose electrolytes. So, there is a risk of dehydration," he said."[With] some of those symptoms we want to make sure that people see their doctor. A common point of emphasis would be that if you're experiencing these symptoms, perhaps call your pharmacy.
Preparation is not only the key to preventing food poisoning. Many other summer activities can become safer with careful planning beforehand.
"A trip to the local pharmacy can really take care of a lot of things," he said. "Focusing on the importance of sunscreen, insect prevention... and then basic first aid essentials too. Having that stuff on hand before you need it is very helpful," Hartman said.
