Have you ever had food poisoning? Get the down-low on the dirtiest foods.

Many years ago, I worked at a large publishing company. My department had a pot luck to celebrate the end of the busy season. The next morning, I arrived at work and noticed that the cubicles were surprisingly empty. Out of the 40-member staff, only seven had made it to work; the rest were home sick with what proved to be food poisoning. Days later, when everyone was back in the office, we determined that the seven of us who survived unscathed were the only ones who didn't eat any of the big party sub the boss had provided. Suffice it to say we didn't have any more pot lucks after that.

Unless you stop eating, there's no way to avoid food poisoning entirely. But knowing which foods are more likely to carry disease and making sure you clean and/or prepare them properly can help:

• Eggs. Pasteurization has become more common, so it's greatly reduced the risk with eggs. But risk still remains. When purchasing eggs, be sure the carton says that they are pasteurized. Also, don't store eggs in the holder on the door; keep them in the carton and in the coldest part of the fridge. And be sure to wash your hands after cracking open an egg.
• Pre-packaged salad mixes. While greens that come in a bag don't have any greater risk of carrying disease than their unpackaged counterparts, they do seem to cause more illness. Why is that? Because people get fooled by the packaging and skip the important step of washing their greens. Whether you purchase greens in their natural state or opt for the pre-cut, pre-packaged varieties, be sure to wash them well.
• Chicken. Chicken is one of the worst offenders. Buy free-range chicken -- not only is it more ethical, chickens that aren't confined in small spaces with lots of other birds have a lower risk of contracting some illnesses. When preparing chicken, don't rinse it in the sink -- that just increases the risk of spreading contaminants. Be sure chicken is cooked thoroughly (to an internal temperature of 180). Clean any tools and surfaces you prepared the chicken on with a diluted bleach solution.

Check out the AOL Health article and slideshow for more tips on potentially "dirty" foods.