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Senior Center News, July 7, 2017

North Central Senior Citizens Center, July 10-14

Monday — Transportation from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Tuesday — Transportation from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; exercise class at 11 a.m.; bingo at 1:15 p.m.

Wednesday — Transportation from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m; TOPS at 8 a.m.; cards at 1 p.m.; mall or Walmart shopping from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Thursday — Transportation from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. exercise class at 11 a.m.; cards at 1 p.m.

Friday — Medical transportation will be available from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., but people must make a request at least 24 hours in advance.

Pinochle — First place, Jack Norman; second place, Elva Van Dessel; third place, Dick Zinn; pinochle, Dick Zinn

Menu by Earlene DeWinter

Monday — Sloppy joes, french fries, salad, cookies

Tuesday — Roast beef, mashed potatoes with gravy, broccoli Normandy, dinner rolls, peach crisp

Wednesday — Barbecued chicken, ranch-roasted potatoes, coleslaw, brownies

Thursday — Swedish meatballs, rice, beets, tropical fruit

Friday — Soup, salad bar, chef’s choice, dessert, milk

Food-borne illnesses

Food-borne illnesses are more common in summer for a number of reasons.

If the temperature is higher, there is more opportunity for temperature abuse of foods — that is leaving them in the danger zone, which is anything warmer than 40 degrees. In this range, microorganisms that cause food-borne disease can multiply quickly.

From the pasta salad left out all afternoon on the Fourth of July, to a turkey and mayo sandwich in your backpack on a 3-mile hike up a mountain on a warm day, to simply driving from the grocery store to your home in the sweltering heat, summertime foods are a breeding ground for trouble — and bacteria.

There are four basic rules for preventing food-borne illness.

• Use a thermometer when cooking so you know your food is adequately heated.

• When outside, it’s best to wash with soap and water. If you can’t, bring sanitizing handy wipes to clean your hands after you handle food.

• If you are going to a picnic, use a cooler where you can maintain food in a cool temperature. Also remember to bring enough ice. Or freeze your foods, so when ready to eat they’re thawed out.

• Keep your utensils and dishes that you use for raw meat separate from those you use to eat.

The warning signs of illness are the usual suspects, vomiting, stomach cramps, diarrhea, flu-like symptoms, or any combination of the above.

One of the mistakes people make is to assume that the last thing they ate is the cause of their symptoms. While some types of food-borne illnesses take two to six hours until symptoms appear, others take one or three days. So the culprit is not always the last thing you had, even though that’s probably what it is.

We must always remember some food-borne illnesses, such as E.coli can be life-threatening. Particularly for the young, elderly and those with weakened immune systems. Some severe or prolonged illnesses may need to be treated by a physician.

 

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