With several foodborne illness outbreaks nationwide, here's how to avoid getting sick

With several outbreaks of foodborne illnesses nationwide, there are some steps you can take to keep your family from getting sick.

One of the latest outbreaks of salmonella spans 27 states.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 345 people have gotten sick, with dozens hospitalized. Health officials are investigating a possible link to jalapenos served at Chipotle and Qdobe restaurant chains.

The peppers were grown in Mexico and both restaurants have now removed the item form their menus.

This comes as foodborne illnesses continue to pop up this summer. The Food and Drug Administration is investigating at least 10 parasitic outbreaks since July 1.

One of the largest is a Cyclospora outbreak, which has been linked to recalled lettuce also grown in Mexico. Others include E. coli, listeria and clostridium botulinum found in baby formula.

Experts say there are things you can do and watch for to protect yourself.

"I do think when you go out to eat, if anything looks unhealthy, it doesn't look like... meat (is) cooked fully or you see evidence of spoilage on any type of produce - those are all things to bring awareness to the manager or whoever it is that served you the food and say maybe this isn't the right thing to be eating today," said Dr. Shruti Gohil, with UCI Health Epidemiology and Infection Prevention.

If you're eating out, it's recommended that you order foods like chicken, eggs, ground meats like hamburger and fish well done. Also ask your server if they used pasteurized eggs before ordering things like hollandaise sauce, caesar dressing or custards.

Avoid lukewarm food from buffets that may have been sitting out too long.

In general, if something feels wrong with your food, doctors say you should send it back and ask to speak to a manager.