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- Healthy Eating & Physical Activity
- Age and Stage
- Infants, Children and Youth
- Food Safety in Children Older than 1 Year: Preventing Foodborne Illness
Content Map Terms
Healthy Eating & Physical Activity Categories
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Active for Health
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Age and Stage
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Infants, Children and Youth
- Child Who Is Overweight: Evaluating Nutrition and Activity Patterns
- Child Who Is Overweight: Medical Evaluation
- Eczema and Food Allergy in Babies and Young Children
- Feeding Your Baby: Sample Meals for Babies 6 to 12 Months of Age
- Finger Foods for Babies 6 - 12 Months
- Food Allergy Testing
- Food Safety in Children Older than 1 Year: General Information
- Food Safety in Children Older than 1 Year: Preventing Foodborne Illness
- HealthLink BC Eating and Activity Program for Kids
- Healthy Eating for Children
- Healthy Eating Guidelines for Your Vegetarian Baby: 6-12 months
- Healthy Eating Guidelines for Your Vegetarian Toddler: 1-3 years
- Helping Your Child Who Is Overweight
- Interactive Tool: What Is Your Child's BMI?
- Iron-Fortified Infant Cereal Recipes: Finger Foods For Babies and Toddlers
- Making Family Meals Enjoyable
- Mealtime and Your Toddler
- Parenting Babies (0-12 months)
- Recipes for Your Baby 6 - 9 Months Old
- Recipes for Your Baby 9 - 12 Months Old
- Reducing Risk of Food Allergy in Your Baby
- Snack Ideas for Preschoolers
- Specialized Formula Shortage
- Vitamins and Minerals for Toddlers
- Your Toddler: Nutritious Meals for Picky Eaters
- Physical Activity for Infants, Children and Youth
- Older Adults
- Pregnancy
- Menopause and Perimenopause
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Infants, Children and Youth
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Being Active
- Health Benefits of Physical Activity
- Myths About Physical Activity
- SMART Goal Setting
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Getting Started
- Getting Started: Adding More Physical Activity to Your Life
- Quick Tips: Fitting Physical Activity Into Your Day
- Quick Tips: Getting Active as a Family
- Let's Get Moving
- Fitness: Adding More Activity To Your Life
- Getting Started With Flexibility and Exercise
- Fitness Machines
- Fitness Clothing and Gear
- Be Active: Move to Feel Good
- The Three Kinds of Fitness
- Set SMART Goals
- Overcoming Barriers: Adding More Physical Activity to your Life
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Choosing Your Activity
- How to Choose Safe Equipment
- Exercising While Sitting Down
- Fitness DVDs and Videos
- Tips for Picking the Right Activities
- Quick Tips: Getting in Shape Without Spending Money
- Fitness: Walking for Wellness
- Walk Your Way To Health
- Tai Chi and Qi Gong
- Water Exercise
- Yoga
- Bob's Story: Biking for Health
- Exercise and Physical Activity Ideas
- Fitness: Choosing Activities That Are Right for You
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Staying Active
- Fitness: Getting and Staying Active
- Fitness: Making It a Habit
- Quick Tips: Having Enough Energy to Stay Active
- Quick Tips: Staying Active at Home
- Quick Tips: Staying Active When You Travel
- Physical Activity in Winter
- Quick Tips: Staying Active in Cold Weather
- Quick Tips: Staying Active in Hot Weather
- Injury Prevention and Recovery
- Fitness and Exercise Learning Centre
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Conditions
- Diabetes and Hypoglycemia
- Eating Disorders
- Healthy Eating for Disease Prevention
- Eating Right When You Have More Than One Health Problem
- Being Active When You Have More Than One Health Problem
- Physical Activity and Disease Prevention
- Anemia
- Arthritis and Osteoporosis
- Physiotherapy for Low Back Pain
- Low Back Pain: Exercises to Reduce Pain
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Cancer
- Excercises After Mastectomy
- Breast Cancer: Healthy Eating After a Diagnosis
- Eating Guidelines For After a Cancer Diagnosis
- Healthy Eating Guidelines for Cancer Survivors
- Eating Guidelines for After a Prostate Cancer Diagnosis
- Cancer and Physical Activity
- Eating Well During Cancer Treatment
- Cancer Prevention Eating Guidelines
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Digestive
- Healthy Eating Guidelines for People with Chewing Difficulties
- Managing Constipation in Adults
- Healthy Eating Guidelines for People with Diverticular Disease
- Fibre and Your Health
- Lower Fibre Food Choices
- Eating Guidelines For Gallbladder Disease
- Healthy Eating Guidelines for Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Lactose Intolerance
- Healthy Eating Guidelines for People with Peptic Ulcers
- Bowel Disease: Changing Your Diet
- Celiac Disease: Eating a Gluten-Free Diet
- GERD: Controlling Heartburn by Changing Your Habits
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Controlling Symptoms with Diet
- Food Allergies
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Heart
- Cardiac Rehabilitation
- Coronary Artery Disease: Exercising for a Healthy Heart
- DASH Diet Sample Menu
- Lifestyle Steps to Lower Your Blood Pressure
- Exercising to Prevent a Stroke
- Healthy Diet Guidelines for a Healthy Heart
- Heart Arrhythmias and Exercise
- Heart Failure: Eating a Healthy Diet
- Heart Failure: Track Your Weight, Food and Sodium
- Heart-Healthy Eating
- Heart-Healthy Eating: Fish
- Heart-Healthy Lifestyle
- High Blood Pressure: Nutrition Tips
- High Cholesterol: How a Dietitian Can Help
- Modify Recipes for a Heart-Healthy Diet
- Plant-based Diet Guidelines
- Peripheral Arterial Disease and Exercise
- Physical Activity Helps Prevent a Heart Attack and Stroke
- High Blood Pressure: Using the DASH Diet
- Healthy Eating: Eating Heart-Healthy Foods
- Heart Health: Walking for a Healthy Heart
- Izzy's Story: Living with the DASH Diet
- Exercise and Fibromyalgia
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Kidney and Liver
- Healthy Eating Guidelines for People with Early Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Stages 1 and 2
- Healthy Eating Guidelines for Prevention of Recurrent Kidney Stones
- Healthy Eating for Chronic Hepatitis
- Kidney Disease: Changing Your Diet
- Kidney Stones: Preventing Kidney Stones Through Diet
- Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH)
- Lupus: Healthy Eating
- Mutiple Sclerosis
- Parkinson's Disease and Exercise
- Sally's Story: Avoiding Metabolic Syndrome
- Spinal Cord
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Food and Nutrition
- About Healthy Eating
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Eating Habits
- Developing a Plan for Healthy Eating
- Drinking Enough Water
- Eating Healthy at Holiday Parties
- Eating Journal
- Emotional Eating
- Encourage Healthy Eating Away From Home
- Food Journaling: How to Keep Track of What You Eat
- Healthy Eating: Changing Your Eating Habits
- Healthy Eating: Getting Support When Changing Your Eating Habits
- Healthy Eating: Making Healthy Choices When You Eat Out
- Healthy Eating: Making Healthy Choices When You Shop
- Healthy Eating: Overcoming Barriers to Change
- Healthy Eating: Starting a Plan for Change
- Healthy Eating: Staying With Your Plan
- Healthy Eating to Decrease Stress
- Jaci's Story: Changing her Life With Small Steps
- Jeremy's Story: Focusing on Eating Habits
- Loralie's Story: It's Never Too Late
- Maggie Morries: Plan Ahead When You Eat Out
- Plant-based Foods
- Sugary Drinks and Other Beverages
- Sodium
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Nutrients
- Added Sugars
- Antioxidants
- Antioxidants and Your Diet
- Carbohydrate Foods
- Carbohydrate, Proteins, Fats and Blood Sugar
- Choosing a Vitamin and Mineral Supplements
- Cholesterol and Triglycerides: Eating Fish and Fish Oil
- Comparing Sugar Substitute
- Dietary Fats and Your Health
- Dietary Guidelines for Good Health
- Dietary Reference Intake
- Eating Protein
- Calcium and Your Health
- Food Sources of Vitamin K
- Getting Enough Calcium and Vitamin D
- Getting Enough Fibre
- Getting Enough Folic Acid
- Getting Enough Iron
- Getting Enough Potassium
- Healthy Eating: Cutting Unhealthy Fats From Your Diet
- Healthy Eating: Taking Calcium and Vitamin D
- High Potassium Eating
- High Potassium Foods
- Iron and Your Health
- Iron in Foods
- Low-Potassium Foods
- Major Nutrients in Food
- Minerals: Their Functions and Sources
- Non-Milk Sources of Calcium
- Quick Nutrition Check for Protein
- Quick Nutrition Check for Protein: Sample Menus
- Quick Nutrition Check for Vitamin B12
- Types of Fats
- Vitamin and Mineral Supplements for Adults
- Vitamins: Their Functions and Sources
- Food Labels
- Healthy Eating and Nutrition Topics A-Z
- Plan, Shop and Prepare
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Food, Water and Beverage Safety
- Avoiding Mercury in Fish
- Food Safety: Cooking
- Food Safety: Following the Package Instructions
- Food Safety: Preparing
- Food Safety: Serving
- Food Safety - Store it Right
- Food Safety: Storing
- Food Safety: Tips for Grocery Shopping
- Marine Toxins
- Preparing for an Emergency: A Focus on Water and Food
- Summer Food Safety
- Canada's Food Guide FAQs
- Food Security
- Vegetarian Diets
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Healthy Weights
- About Healthy Weights
- Genetic Influences on Weight
- Screening for Weight Problems
- Unplanned Weight Loss
- Quick Tips: Cutting Calories
- Physical Activity for Weight Loss
- Weight Loss by Limiting Calories
- Tips for Maintaining Weight Loss
- Choosing a Weight-Loss Program
- Boosting Your Metabolism
- Exercise Helps Maggie Stay at a Healthy Weight
- Healthy Eating: Recognizing Your Hunger Signals
- Hunger, Fullness, and Appetite Signals
- Weight Management
- Weight Management: Stop Negative Thoughts
- Maggie's Strategies for Eating Healthy
- Maggie: Making Room for Worth-It Foods
- Maggie's Story: Making Changes for Her Health
- Weight Management Centre
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Policies and Guidelines
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Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales in BC Schools
- Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales: Making Bake Sales Delicious and Nutritious
- Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales: Boosting the Sales of Nutritious Food in Schools
- Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales: Food Fundraiser Ideas for Schools
- Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales: Involving Everyone in Implementing the Guidelines
- Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales: Selling Food and Beverages at School Sporting Events
- Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales: Planning Healthy Cafeteria Menus
- Healthier Choices in Vending Machines
- Informed Dining in Health Care Facilities
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Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales in BC Schools
- Provincial Nutrition Resource Inventory
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Forms and Tools
- Walking Log
- Exercise Planning Form
- Physical Activity Log
- Par-Q+ and ePARmed-X+
- Target Heart Rate
- Interactive Tool: What is Your Target Heart Rate
- Borg-Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale
- Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE)
- Heart Rate Calculator
- Overview of BC Provincial and Federal Nutrition Benefits Programs
- Body Mass Index (BMI)
- Body Mass Index (BMI) for Adults
- Interactive Tool: Do Your BMI and Waist Size Increase Your Health Risks?
- Measuring Your Waist
- Estimating Body Fat Percentage
- Factsheet Generator
- Fitness: Using a Pedometer or Step Counter
- Email a HealthLinkBC Dietitian
- Email a Qualified Exercise Professional
Introduction
Foodborne illness, also called food poisoning, is caused by eating or drinking food and beverages that contain harmful bacteria. Just a small amount of bacteria can make your child sick.
Children are at high risk for getting foodborne illness because:
- they weigh less and have smaller bodies than older children and adults, and
- their immune systems can't fight off bacteria as well as healthy older children and adults.
We don't know when children "grow out of" this higher risk category. Foodborne illness caused by bacteria, like Salmonella and some E. Coli, is most common in children less than 10 years old.
Steps You Can Take
Some foods are much more likely to cause foodborne illness than others. These foods include raw meat, fish and seafood, and poultry and eggs. Use the following tips to lower the risk of foodborne illness for you and your family.
- Wash your hands and all areas where food is prepared.
- Before and after handling food, wash your hands with hot, soapy water for at least 20 seconds.
- Wash utensils, dishes, cutting boards, and counter tops with hot soapy water.
- Teach your child to wash her hands for at least 20 seconds after using the toilet and before eating.
- To help your child learn how long to wash her hands, have her sing a short song like "Twinkle, twinkle little star" while she washes.
- Do not offer your child raw or undercooked meat, fish, poultry or eggs.
- Children less than 5 years old should avoid sushi made with raw fish.
- Do not offer your child unpasteurized milk or milk products, or unpasteurized juice or cider.
- Food that is unsafe does not always smell or look bad. Never taste a food or beverage you are unsure about. Throw it away.
- Do not keep raw fish, poultry, or ground meat in the fridge longer than 2 days.
- Other raw cuts of beef, pork or lamb can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Do not keep cooked meat, fish or poultry in the fridge for more than 3 to 5 days. For more information about safe storage of food, see Additional Resources.
- Keep raw or uncooked meat, fish, seafood, poultry and eggs away from cooked food and produce at all times.
- Wash all cutting boards and other dishes that came into contact with raw food before using them for other foods.
- Wash your hands between handling raw and cooked foods.
- Cook foods to a safe temperature. Cooking foods to a safe temperature kills bacteria.
- Safe cooking temperatures are different for different foods.
- Use a food thermometer to check the temperature of cooked foods. For information about the safe cooking temperature of foods, see Additional Resources.
- Heat leftovers to at least 74ºC (165ºF). Food reheated in a microwave should reach 88ºC (190ºF) and then be left covered for two minutes afterwards.
- Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. This keeps food out of the "danger zone" (the temperature at which bacteria multiply the fastest).
- Keep hot food at 60ºC (140ºF) or higher.
- Keep cold foods at 4ºC (40ºF) or below. Your refrigerator temperature should be 4ºC (40ºF).
- Eat foods as soon as possible after they are cooked. If hot food is not going to be eaten right away, cool it and put it in the fridge immediately.
- Do not keep food at room temperature for more than two hours.
- Do not put food that has been partly eaten back in the refrigerator for eating later. Throw it out.
- If your child's appetite is small, serve small portions. Offer a second helping if she finishes and want more.
- If your child helps you in the kitchen, do not allow her to eat uncooked baking such as cookie dough, or lick cake batter off the spatula.
- These contain raw egg that could make her sick.
- Keep school and daycare lunches in the fridge until eaten. If this is not possible, pack lunches with an ice pack to keep them cold.
- Wash fresh fruits and vegetables before eating.
- Use running water and scrub the surface of the produce with a vegetable brush when possible.
- Children under 5 years should not eat bean sprouts (such as mung bean or alfalfa sprouts) unless they are well cooked.
- Raw bean sprouts often carry harmful bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli.
Additional Resources
HealthLinkBC. Medically approved non-emergency health information.
Dietitian Services Fact Sheets available by mail (call 8-1-1).
- Food Safety in Children Older than 1 Year - General Information
- Storing Foods in the Cupboard or Pantry
- Storing Food in the Refrigerator
Fight Bac! Keep Food Safe From Bacteria. Cook to Proper Temperatures.
Last updated: April 2013
Contact Physical Activity Services
If you have questions about physical activity or exercise, call 8-1-1 (or 7-1-1 for the deaf and heard of hearing) toll-free in B.C. Our qualified exercise professionals are available Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm Pacific Time. You can also leave a message after hours.
Translation services are available in more than 130 languages.
HealthLinkBC’s qualified exercise professionals can also answer your questions by email.
Contact a Dietitian
If you have any questions about healthy eating, food, or nutrition, call 8-1-1 (or 7-1-1 for the deaf and hard of hearing) toll-free in B.C. You can speak to a health service navigator who can connect you with one of our registered dietitians, who are available 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. You can also leave a message after hours.
Translations services are available in more than 130 languages.
HealthLinkBC Dietitians can also answer your questions by email.