Last Updated on December 20, 2020
Image by Anastasia Gepp from Pixabay Eating is one of life’s greatest pleasures. However, many people are still not aware of the right precautions to take when it comes to handling food or preparing meals. This carelessness can lead to food poisoning – an easily preventable and very common problem. According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), about 15% of Americans contract some form of food poisoning every year. Given the potential health hazards of contaminated food, food safety should be a priority for everyone. Especially during the summer, when the high temperatures increase the risk of food contamination by creating the perfect environment for foodborne germs to multiply quickly. Before sharing prevention tips, it’s worth knowing more about the causes of food poisoning and what exactly this particular condition consists of. Food poisoning: Also known as foodborne illness, this condition occurs when a person consumes food contaminated with infectious germs such as viruses, bacteria, and other parasites (E. coli and salmonella are two of the most common food poisoning bacteria). It can affect anyone, but children, older adults, and pregnant women have a greater risk of becoming sick. The contamination can occur at any stage of the production process (growing, harvesting, processing, shipping, storing, or preparing). Due to the high safety standards of the food industry, most cases of food poisoning are spread by an infected food handler or by some infected kitchen utensils used in the preparation process. Food poisoning symptoms include nausea, vomiting, fever, weakness, headaches, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. In severe cases, patients might also experience difficulty seeing or speaking bloody urine, and symptoms of dehydration such as dry mouth and trouble passing urine. Signs of food poisoning may start within a couple of hours of eating contaminated food or after a couple of days. Similarly, food poisoning may last only a few hours or several days. Fortunately, the vast majority of cases are mild, and the immune system can solve them by itself. How to avoid food poisoning:
