If you're not careful, Thanksgiving can turn into a gathering of unwanted guests of the microbial sort, warns UC Davis Cooperative Extension food scientist Linda Harris.

"It is estimated that there are more than 76 million cases of food-borne illness each year in the United States, and many of those cases are preventable," Harris says.

She offers the following suggestions for making sure that you serve up healthy food and good memories at Thanksgiving and throughout the holiday season: 1) stuff the turkey only when you're ready to pop it into the oven, or cook the stuffing in a separate pan; 2) use a meat thermometer to make sure the turkey stuffing is heated to 165 degrees and the turkey meat is at least 180 degrees; 3) refrigerate or freeze prepared foods or leftovers within two hours.

And to prevent the spread of harmful bacteria in the kitchen, always wash hands, as well as utensils and cutting boards, before working with foods and when moving from one food item to the next.