A nurse is providing teaching to a client who has neutropenia about preventing foodborne illness. Which of the following instructions should the nurse include?

Cooking raw fish and steak to the well-done stage is the correct instruction for a client with neutropenia. Neutropenic clients have severely compromised immune defenses and are at high risk for foodborne infections from organisms such as Salmonella, Listeria, Campylobacter, and parasites that may be present in undercooked meats and fish. Thorough cooking to well-done temperatures kills these pathogens and significantly reduces infection risk. This is part of the neutropenic diet, which emphasizes food safety to minimize microbial exposure. Reducing calcium-containing foods has no relevance to foodborne illness prevention and could actually be harmful to bone health; this instruction is incorrect and potentially misleading. Cutting damaged areas from fruits and vegetables is not safe advice for neutropenic clients — damaged areas harbor mold and bacteria that cannot be adequately removed by trimming, and clients are advised to eat only intact, well-washed produce or to avoid raw produce entirely depending on the degree of neutropenia. Thawing frozen foods at room temperature is specifically contraindicated for all clients, but especially for immunocompromised individuals, because room-temperature thawing promotes bacterial growth in the outer layers of food while the interior remains frozen. Safe thawing methods include refrigerator thawing, cold-water thawing, or microwave thawing with immediate cooking.