Common Food Mistakes that Can Make You Sick

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Forgetting this: When in doubt, throw it out

Never force yourself to eat something that's spoiled or toxic. In the following situations, listen to your gut instinct, and throw it out:

• If you left cooked food out of the fridge for an extended period of time but don't know how long
• If it's slimy, smelly, moldy—basically if it smells bad or looks spoiled, it probably is
• If you let raw meat, poultry or seafood touch uncooked food (so much that it's impossible to salvage the uncooked food)

That said, be extra mindful of food waste, and do everything in your power to avoid it. That includes not overstocking your fridge, checking the expiration dates on perishable items, storing food properly, putting uneaten cooked food away promptly, and following the FIFO rule (placing items in your cupboards, fridge and freezer in order of when you bought/cooked them, with the oldest items in the front).

Hungry for more? Here are the warning signs that tell you when your food has gone bad.