10 Rules to Avoid Food Poisoning - Are you aware of the dangers stalking you?
By: Stefan Anitei, Science Editor - Softpedia
Summer could be the season of food poisoning, but this can occur during the entire year. Food poisoning refers to two situations: food intoxications and food infections. Intoxications occur when the toxin is already present in the food, and by heating or boiling it, the toxin is not destroyed. The infection is induced by germs which multiply inside our organisms, but if we heat the food before eating it, the problem could be solved.
Vomits and diarrhea have precisely the role of cleansing the digestive tube of all these toxins. The most common bacteria involved in food poisoning are Staphylococcus, Clostridium perfringens, Escherichia coli and Salmonella, but there are hundreds of other bacteria and viruses that can affect us.
If we could analyze our daily food, we would be shocked by the sheer number of microorganisms found in it, but most of them are beneficial for our organism, or are simply not harmful. But in cases of incorrect food manipulation, they can become dangerous, that's why 50 % of food poisonings occur inside the house.
1. Temperature is the main way to control the microorganisms' development. A value close to 0° C or one which is too high impedes the growth of the germs. The problem comes while traveling. It's when you must choose products that do not require cold preservation.
2. If you doubt the quality of the tap water, drink only bottled water.
3. When eating out (as an option or while on holiday), choose carefully the restaurant. Avoid kiosks that sell everything, including oysters. Opt for stable locations, where it is more likely for sanitary authorities to check if the owners comply with the regulations regarding the refrigerating installations, the products' origin, manipulation and cooking conditions, and the skills of the chefs, conditions that can hardly be checked for kiosk that change location almost daily.
4. Perhaps the most dangerous food is the seafood. When we collect clams or shrimps it seems so healthy (and romantic). But seafood is extremely prone to two types of poisoning. Clams and other seafood feed by filtering the water, and if the water is contaminated (for example, with heavy metals, like mercury or cadmium), they accumulate toxic amounts of substances or metals. The metals and other chemicals are not eliminated by cooking the meat.
Another danger occurs during algal blooms. Some algae breed enormously during certain periods of the year, synthesizing extremely powerful toxins. Some sea animals accumulate them and, because some of these toxins are resistant to heating, they can produce severe food poisonings in human consumers.
5. Fruits and vegetables must be washed properly, as they carry many bacteria and parasite eggs. Add a drop of vinegar in cold water, and put the fruit on it for five minutes: acidity kills many microorganisms.
6. Fish must be extremely fresh and eaten the same day; if not, freeze it once you get home. The same is valid for minced meat, which should be eaten, or at least cooked, the same day. The viscera should be bought only from places with sanitary authorization.
Eggs too should be very fresh. Check them in water: if one doesn’t float, it's good to eat; if it raises a little, it is neither good nor bad, and if it floats, throw it away. Properly wash the eggs before eating or cooking them.
7. In the summer there are many street markets selling fruit, vegetables, cheese, sausages and oils. Check attentively the sanitary conditions, the labels and the expiration date.
8. Avoid by any means the flies on any type of food, because, besides being annoying, they carry many parasites and dangerous bacteria.
9. Keep lemons and bicarbonate in the house: at the minimal symptoms of food poisoning, mix boiled water with the juice of two lemons, a pinch of salt and a pinch of bicarbonate.
10. When traveling abroad:
• Drink only bottled water and boil tap water
• Drink your juice, water or soda without ice
• Avoid raw food, and salads. If you prepare them, wash the vegetables well with bottled water with a few droplets of bleach
• Eat meat, fish and eggs that are well cooked
• Eat fruits and vegetables that can be peeled.
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