‘Oysters are a risk, as is raw meat’: why you get food poisoning – and how to avoid it | Health & wellbeing
Mr.It’s probably fair to say that not everyone in the modern world takes food poisoning particularly seriously. Yes, most people wash their hands after handling raw chicken and use different cutting boards for beef and green beans — but who among us can honestly say we’ve never used the same tongs for an entire barbecue or left a storage box of cooked rice on the buffet for a few hours? Ignore that rhetorical question for a moment, though – before you comment on that. Of course everyone should do all of these things, let’s talk about what happens to your body when everything goes horribly wrong.
At the risk of stating the obvious, food poisoning occurs when you eat food contaminated with harmful bacteria, viruses or toxins – but that doesn’t mean it always works the same way. “Certain bacteria, such as Bacillus cereus – sometimes found in reheated rice – produce toxins before the food is consumed, meaning they can cause symptoms such as sudden vomiting within a few hours,” says Dr Masarat Jilani, an NHS specialist who regularly treats children and adults with food poisoning. Bacillus cereus also produces another type of toxin in the small intestine, which can cause diarrhea. “Others, like Salmonella And E.coliact after eating and often cause longer lasting symptoms due to inflammation of the intestine.
So technically speaking, an expert might be able to guess what type of bacteria or virus you’ve ingested based on how quickly you get sick after eating. But in practice, this rarely happens.
“All of these bacteria work in different ways,” says Dr. Emma Doughty, infectious disease specialist. “Campylobacter jejuni The bacteria, often found in poultry, are shaped like a spiral and work their way through the intestinal lining. It’s different from, say, Shigatoxigenic E.coliwhich excretes Shiga toxins. Both make you sick with intestinal inflammation and diarrhea. This means that although there are effective treatments for food poisoning, such as antibiotics, it is not always easy for doctors to know which one to prescribe.
“If you have a stomach illness and you go to the doctor, they usually won’t give you antibiotics,” says Doughty. “The reason is that if you have the Shiga toxin-producing variant, E.coliand if you then kill all those bugs with antibiotics, they’ll just release all the toxins in them and make you even sicker. So, without a diagnosis of a specific infection, it is often safer to let things improve on their own.
What to do to avoid all these inconveniences? “Some of the more classic advice is still relevant today,” says Doughty. “Oysters are always a risk, as is eating any kind of raw meat. There has been a trend recently of people eating burgers medium-rare, which is a little troubling.” To explain: If you’re going to eat beef, you need to sear the parts that have been exposed to air to kill most of the bacteria that might be living there. With steak, that just means the exterior, but with mince, that’s pretty much everything.
Washing chicken – still strangely popular on TikTok – is an absolute no-no, as it’s likely to spread bacteria all over your kitchen and utensils, rather than reducing your risk of infection. Obviously, you need to keep things clean, separate raw meat from other foods, cool cooked foods quickly and refrigerate them within two hours of cooking, and make sure foods are thoroughly cooked, perhaps by using a meat thermometer. “As with many other infections, washing your hands is very helpful in preventing getting sick,” says Doughty. “In this case, that means washing your hands thoroughly after handling food and after using the toilet. »
If everything goes wrong, most people won’t have much reason to worry, provided they’re not part of an at-risk population. “The main risk of food poisoning is dehydration, which is why it’s important to drink plenty of water and supplement with oral rehydration salts when you experience it,” says Jilani. “Reintroducing a balanced diet is also important for recovery, and in the early stages we often recommend a Brat diet – bananas, rice, applesauce and toast – if you feel you cannot reintroduce your normal diet straight away.”
In more extreme cases, food poisoning can lead to sepsis, which can include symptoms such as a rapid heartbeat and dizziness. If you think this might be happening, call the GP straight away. “In a minority of cases, you may also develop post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which can be characterized by abdominal pain and bloating,” says Jilani. Again, seek medical attention if this persists.
The good news is that most cases of food poisoning will go away on their own within a few days as your immune system resolves them. Just be more careful with the pliers next time.
