Wash your hands before cooking. Make it a habit. Wash particularly after handling raw (uncooked) meat, touching the rubbish bin and blowing your nose.

Most kitchen accidents happen by saucepans tipping over. Buy good quality pans with sturdy balance handles.

While working in the kitchen, we tend to overlook basic hygiene and precautions required to be followed. This is sometimes due to busy routine or sheer ignorance. At times, this may lead to the ill health of our family members. So why not stop for a moment and pay a little attention to the following tips:

*Wash your hands before cooking. Make it a habit. Wash particularly after handling raw (uncooked) meat, touching the rubbish bin and blowing your nose. You might be doing it, but is your maid following your habit?

* Don’t ever stroke pets while you’re cooking; wash hands after every time you touch them and never let them lick the plates that you use.

* Always use a separate knife and chopping board for meat products. Keep another one for other foods. Wash (not wipe) the knife with soap and warm water after every use;

* Use hot, soapy water to clean your dishes. The scrub you use needs to be washed and cleaned properly before and after every use and left to dry in the open. If you leave the cloth (with which you wipe the kitchen shelves clean) or sponges damp, they become smelly and a breeding ground for bacteria;

* Salads are undoubtedly nutritious and essential for health. However, wash them thoroughly under running water to remove insects, bacteria and also pesticide residues. Before eating root vegetables raw, peel them;

* Soya beans require cooking for at least 10 minutes to destroy a harmful protein, which can cause gastroenteritis.

* Don’t use any potatoes that have sprouted since these can cause stomach upsets and diarrhoea;

* If you use foil, it’s best not to let it touch the food. Wrap with paper napkin first. It should not also be used to wrap cheese and on food that is still hot. Some chemicals in the foil may be harmful.

* While storing food items, take the precaution of keeping uncooked (raw) food, especially meat, separately from cooked food products. The bacteria in meat can contaminate the uncooked food.

* There are certain fruits and vegetables that should not be stored together. Onions and garlic should be kept separately in paper bags to avoid smell. Also, keep potatoes away from onions since they become stale fast. Similarly, apples make carrots taste bitter if stored together.

* Food shouldn’t stay in a tin once it is opened since it can become contaminated by metal. Simply transfer any unused contents to a bowl.

* Ideally, all items should be kept in airtight containers; use plastic storage containers or reuse old Bournvita/coffee jars. Airtight containers not only keep the air from spoiling food, but also reduce the risk of spillage and infestation.

* Most kitchen accidents happen by saucepans tipping over. Buy good quality pans with sturdy balance handles;

* Avoid copper saucepans, unless lined with stainless steel; Aluminum utensils, too, are health hazards and if unavoidable (like pressure cookers), empty the contents in a stainless steel utensil after cooking;

* Reduce your risk by using stainless steel utensils, especially saucepans;

* Enamel saucepans are safe as long as they are not chipped;

* While using non-stick utensils, use a wooden scrapper; metal spoons and karhchhi damages the non-stick qualities of the pan. Never heat an empty non-stick pan since it emits toxic fumes;

* Stand a couple of feet away from the microwave oven when it’s in use. Check that the oven’s door is closed properly. Learn how to use it correctly by reading the instructions booklet that comes with it. Always cook food for the length of time specified and do not use any containers in it that aren’t microwave safe, for example, never use metal ones.

Try these time-tested formulae and enjoy a trouble free, healthy cooking.

Good doctor-patient ties vital for recovery
Picky Panwar

For an ailing person to come face to face with a clearly-defined disease is the first step towards recovery. It is at this poignant moment that the patient develops into a healing instrument by becoming receptive to the doctor’s diagnostic skill. Faith is implicitly endowed upon the saviour who is either the surgeon or prescriber of treatment. In case of serious surgery and severe medication, the group of doctors and the institute of hospitalisation become a temple of worship wherein the staggering life force steps back into the cells of existence.

The patient, as he recovers slowly, changes into a bundle of hope and takes joy at every heartbeat and strengthening breath. The source of inspiration to survive is a team of dedicated professionals. To induce recovery, the mind and soul feel the body with a quest for survival.

All this, in an even more accentuated form were available to me at the Post-Graduate Institute of Education & Research, Chandigarh, during my illness. I had almost killed myself with stress and strain during my life of 47 years. As the common belief goes, I must have done something good to land up at the Nephrology, Urology and Radio-therapy Departments of the PGI. I had faith that things would work out fine since I was blessed by just having been born!

A nine-hour surgery, transfusions, a miasma of anti-coagulants and catheters did the trick. I couldn’t possibly let them down after four months of treatment. The chemotherapy which followed was conducted congenially and I was prepared for it with all its fangs and side-effects. Being receptive is being healed and so far my system has responded with the help of excellent follow-up monitoring and I know those who treated me are happy about my progress. This helps me to keep well.

Yes, the PGI keeps you on your toes. There are no short cuts to good health. You have to pace the corridors to meet saviours, monitor your tests and be patient.

I would say that it is the caring nature of all those who serve the sick at this institute which keeps the clock ticking. Whether it is the professors, resident nurses, lab technicians or machine operators or even the guards.

1. Do not take a patient’s intelligence for granted. Always listen even to his seemingly immaterial ramblings. They give you an insight into symptoms and hidden data for diagnosis.

2. Never underestimate the respect a patient has for you. Everyone has different ways of expressing this. Some are dumbstruck by their doctors, while other are always finding ways to get attention.

3. Never let a patient’s confidence down. You can devastate the healing power by doing this. The rapport is essential as a doctor-patient relationship is built on this. You are the patient’s best friend and confidant.

4. Always support the patient in following treatment. Praise when he makes the grade and give sincere advice, if he doesn’t. This is the only way to make sure a patient maintains or improves his state of health after a major upheaval. Availability is the strongest plus point here.

5. Questions are to be answered. No matter what a patient asks, explain it. There are categories of informed and ill-informed people who compose the mainstream of the patient body. Inform them about their ailments accordingly. They are then more prepared for the next step.

6. A specialist is one who makes all his patients special.

Do’s and don’ts for patients

1. A patient should take the doctor’s word as the truth. Acceptance of your disease paves the way to better health.

2. Never postpone an appointment without good reason. You could reach a point of no return by just being a coward. Give your doctor a reason to work out your health schedule and reveal all things connected with your illness.

3. Let aside everything to improve your health. A one-pointed resolve will get you places if you listen carefully to the doctor’s instructions and take time off to follow them.

4. Be neat and clean in mind and body to imbibe whatever you are told and present a health front every time your doctor checks you out. Allow him to speak first.

5. Do not take up your doctor’s time unnecessarily. Learn to follow long-term instructions independently and show him the good results. This will increase your will power and give you confidence to go further.

6. Size yourself up by being brave during the most excruciating moments of investigation and treatment. You might turn up as a hero instead of always being backstage. Remember coming through these will add not only to your image but also leave a permanent mark of respect for those who treat you.

7. Treat your specialists specially.