10 Tips for a food poisoning-free Christmas

For many people, cooking Christmas dinner is a rare chance to cater for a large group of people. Preparing food safely for large numbers can be a challenge in a domestic kitchen - fridges and ovens never seem big enough. With so much food, some is often served warm when it should be chilled or too cool when it should be piping hot. Such actions can result in an unpleasant case of food poisoning for you or your family.

Here are some food safety tips to help ensure Christmas dinner is a pleasant experience, both during and after the meal!

1. Don't overstock your fridge or freezer - If your appliances are overstocked it makes it difficult to maintain the right temperature.

2. Wash your hands frequently - Wash your hands especially before preparing or touching food, and after touching raw food, coughing, sneezing or touching pets.

3. Keep Kitchen Clean – Thoroughly clean and disinfect food and hand contact surfaces using a suitable anti-bactericidal spray, before food preparation.

4. Frozen turkeys or other poultry must always be thawed thoroughly and fully before cooking - A 5lb turkey will take 24-48 hours to thaw in the fridge; allow over 2 days for a 25lb bird to defrost.

5. Use separate chopping boards and utensils between raw meat and any cooked or ready-to-eat-foods.

6. Ideally, cook your stuffing separately - If you feel that you must stuff the bird, make sure you take the stuffing weight into account when calculating the cooking time.

7. Poultry, sausages and chopped and minced meat must always be thoroughly cooked - Check to make sure that there are no pink bits in the middles, that the juices run clear and that they are piping hot throughout.

8. Always serve hot food piping hot and as soon as it is ready.

9. Don't leave leftovers lying around - Make sure that hot food cools quickly before putting it in the fridge.

10. Avoid re-heating food more than once

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6 top tips for communicating at Christmas:

Here are 6 handy tips that may keep you out of trouble when communicating with work colleagues over the festive season.

1. It might not be the best time to raise really important issues.
If there's something you've been waiting to talk about, either
at work or at home, wait until the pressures off before you
bring it up. If your significant other is about to tackle a mountain
of washing up, don't choose that moment to say, “There’s something
I've been meaning to talk to you about.”

2. On the other hand, don't try to talk about important stuff when
you've had a drink (at home or, especially, at the office
party). You will probably not express yourself very well and
you'll very likely regret it the next day. In particular, resist the urge
to give the Boss your in - depth analysis of his or her management
style.

3. Remember that many people are under pressure and will not be
at their most patient or understanding. Accept it and do what
you can to help them. Don't get annoyed because they are not
noticing you or thinking about what you want just at the moment.

4. Don't forget the value of counting to 10 (or more if need be) if
you're feeling wound up before saying anything.

5. Also remember the value of listening. It's amazing the effect it
can have on a work or personal relationship if you really start
to listen to other people and to understand their point of view.
This doesn't apply if the other person is much the worse for wear
and is just moaning on about how awful everything is. In those
circumstances, you're quite justified in getting up and walking away.

6. If you do find yourself dealing with an angry customer, colleague
or family member, stay calm, smile and wish them a very happy
Christmas. This should really annoy them and give you a deep sense
of satisfaction.

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The Year of Snakes and Ladders - by Jo Crofts - Head of docleaf's psychological support services

When I began thinking about writing an article on trauma for the December e-news, I had to decide whether I wrote it from a clinical perspective or from the personal impact traumatic events have on our lives. This highlighted for me the paradoxical role of tragedy in our lives. When our lives are impacted by personal tragedy it is often difficult to see beyond the pain and loss. In my work as a clinician I have had the privilege of working with many people touched by tragedy.

These people through their turmoil often display extraordinary dignity, kindness, patience and often humour. Joni Johnson wrote that life often reminded her of a game of Snakes and Ladders, where every roll of the dice can either send you spiralling backward or propel you forward. She said that in her experience every time a snake crosses someone’s path a ladder soon seemed to follow. Many people come through their trauma with courage, determination and often a new focus in their lives.

In a Red Cross survey after 9/11, 36% of respondents reported spending less time at work and more time with friends and family in the year following 9/11. Employers are now becoming far more attuned to the increased risk and impact of trauma in the workplace. Perhaps this shift in thinking is as a result of incidents such as 9/11 and 7/7. The vast majority of people involved in these incidents were either at work or on their way to work.

This time of year is often poignant for the people who have been touched by tragedies such as these, it is important to remember that your employees may be caught up in a roller coaster of emotions. There will be those of them who want to forget while others will want to pause and remember. As employers you are in the best place to monitor your staff’s needs directly.

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Articles are copyrighted to docleaf^®. Permission to reprint will usually be granted for no charge. Write to info@docleaf.com.  The articles represent the opinions of the authors and all information is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind.

A collection of past eNews articles can be found at www.docleaf.com/news/enews.php

Regards, Dr. David Perl.
CEO - docleaf
Visit our website at www.docleaf.com
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