These 5 foods are super-healthy -- but they can also make you sick. Here's what you need to know to avoid food-borne illnesses from fruits and vegetables.

It’s nutritional advice we’ve heard time and again: Eat your fruits and vegetables.

Abundant in vitamins, minerals, fibers and antioxidants, fresh produce is an essential part of a healthy diet. But fruits and vegetables can be exposed to a wide range of bacteria and viruses in the field and during the handling and transportation process, making them a potential source of food-borne illness.

These days, it seems that food safety concerns of one kind or another are constantly in the news. In fact, 11 to 13 million Canadians suffer from food-related illnesses every year, according to Health Canada. Here are the 5 fruits and vegetables the agency says are most often associated with food-borne illness in this country — and practical tips on how to enjoy them safely.

Tomatoes. Not only are they delicious, but tomatoes are also a great source of vitamins and minerals. But since they are grown close to the ground, tomatoes can become contaminated by soil, tainted water, wild and domestic animals or improperly composted manure. Bacteria may also be transferred during and after harvest from handling, storing and transporting. Like other types of fresh produce, tomatoes can also become contaminated with disease-causing bacteria when they come into contact with raw foods such as meat, poultry, seafood and their juices.

At the store: When buying a tomato, look for any signs of bruising or cuts on the skin.

And because they continue to ripen once picked, select tomatoes that are firm but not hard.

At home: Store whole tomatoes unwashed and uncovered at room temperature, making sure to avoid direct sunlight. When the tomatoes are ripe, move them to the fridge and use them within a few days. Cut tomatoes should always be refrigerated at 4ºC (40ºF) or less and can be kept for up to three days. (If the cut or peeled tomatoes have been left out at room temperature for more than two hours, you should throw them away.) Also, as is the case with other fresh produce, be sure to keep them separate from raw food items.

Tips for cleaning and preparation:

- Always wash your hands before handling any fresh produce. To clean, rinse your tomatoes gently under fresh, running water. Don’t soak tomatoes in a sink full of water because the sink can harbour bacteria that can be transferred to the tomatoes.

- Make sure you throw out any tomatoes that are bruised or spoiled.

- When you’re finished washing your tomatoes, cut out the scar where the stem was, and throw it away.

Salmonella is the bacteria most commonly linked to tomato food-borne outbreaks. For more information, click here.