Food Safety Tips for Immunocompromised Patients
Immunocompromised individuals must uphold the highest food safety standards to ensure they do not expose themselves to pathogens. Patient education is critical to ensuring these individuals know the dos and don’ts of food safety. Hence, this article highlights some of the key tips that a healthcare provider can give to immunocompromised patients to protect them from contaminated food.
First, the caregiver should provide their patients with adequate tips on food storage. They should sensitize them on the importance of separating raw meat and eggs from foods that do not require cooking before consumption (such as fruits and bread). Doing so will avoid the contamination of the latter category with any harmful pathogens that could be present in the meat or eggs. Raw food should also be separate from cooked and pre-cooked foods for the same reason. Another important storage tip is storing cooked food in small portions so that it cools faster to avoid bacteria growth within the temperature danger zone (40-140 F) (Cho et al., 2020). Food in small portions is also easy to re-heat evenly, avoiding cold spots that could be potential areas for bacteria growth.
Health providers should also educate immunocompromised patients on the importance of food hygiene. They should advise them to wash their hands thoroughly before handling any foods, including fruits. Additionally, patients should know the importance of cleaning their utensils and kitchen surfaces with a detergent to avoid contamination during cooking or storage (HHS, 2022). Therefore, immunocompromised individuals must control the settings for food preparation. Restaurants and food delivery services may lack the hygiene standards necessary for these patients. As such, home preparation offers the best chances of clean food.
Next, providers should inform patients of the importance of proper food cooking. For instance, meals containing meat and eggs should be well-cooked to ensure pathogens such as Listeria and Salmonella die. Therefore, patients should avoid half-cooked meals, such as runny eggs or rare steak. They should also ensure that re-heated food stays in the oven long enough to overcome the temperature danger zone and kill any existing microorganisms (HHS, 2022). In most cases, proper food preparation makes it easier for the body to absorb nutrients from the food, enhancing immunity. Hence, adequate cooking is vital to immunocompromised individuals’ short- and long-term health.
Lastly, providers should advise patients to look out for various high-risk foods. The high risk arises from foods potentially containing various pathogens innately in them. This category includes meat, dairy products, seafood, and processed products like ham and salami. Other risky foods are those that offer ideal media for bacteria growth. High-carbohydrate foods like rice and pasta can go bad quickly since bacteria and fungi can grow on them rapidly (HHS, 2022). Consuming such food will then expose the individual to infections and food poisoning, which their immunocompromised bodies can barely handle.
In conclusion, immunocompromised individuals need to uphold the highest standards of food safety. Healthcare providers should provide food safety tips to such patients, with the key focus areas being hygiene considerations, storage, cooking, and identification of high-risk foods. Doing so will allow them to make better and safer choices for them to promote their overall well-being.

References
Cho, T. J., Kim, S. A., Kim, H. W., & Rhee, A. M. S. (2020). A closer look at changes in high-risk food-handling behaviors and perceptions of primary food handlers at home in South Korea across time. Foods, 9(10), 1457. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods9101457
US Department of Health and Human Services [HHS]. (2022, Mar. 31). People at Risk: Those with Weakened Immune Systems. https://www.foodsafety.gov/people-at-risk/people-with-weakened-immune-systems