With stoves and ovens firing up in preparation for Christmas dinner, the Southern Health-Sante Sud reminds you of safety precautions, to avoid food-borne illnesses.

Family dinners and gatherings are a big part of the holiday season, but dietitian Kathryn Penner says enjoying those holidays can be tough if you're dealing with discomfort from undercooked or contaminated foods.

"It's important we take care to prepare food in a safe manner," Penner says. "The No. 1 (most important) thing is to keep the area where you're preparing food clean."

Penner advises you to wash your hands within 20 seconds of handling any raw foods. Ensure dishes, countertops, cutting boards and stove tops are washed with hot, soapy water after preparing each food item and before moving onto the next. Ensure all fruits and vegetables all washed thoroughly under cold running water, and brush off surface dirt.

It's also to important to separate foods to avoid cross-contamination, and use a separate cutting board for meats/poultry.

"You want to make sure the raw eggs, meat and poultry, for example, foods that need to be cooked, separate from that don't need to be cooked like fruits and vegetables."

Defrosting meats or poultry safely is also an area of concern. Penner says you should never defrost at room temperature, and reminds the safest way is a fridge defrost, but warns a turkey could take days to fully thaw. A cold water defrost in the sink could hasten the process, but it's important to ensure to water is changed regularly to ensure the temperature doesn't rise significantly.

When it comes to cooking meats or poultry, Penner reminds they should be cooked to an internal temperature of 82 degrees C in the thickest part of the cut. This ensures all harmful bacteria all killed in the cooking process.

"It's important we don't just look at the colour of the food as a reliable indicator of doneness," she says. "We want to make sure we use a food thermometer."

Penner adds, storing leftovers in a timely manner ensures they remain safe. Re-heated gravy should come to a full boil, and any foods should be heated to at least 74 C.

"Always remember, never taste food that looks or smells questionable," she says. "Follow the old rule: 'when in doubt, throw it out.'"