What is Food Poisoning?
Food poisoning is an acute form of gastroenteritis that occurs when people eat contaminated food. It affects over 5 million people in Australia each year. Food poisoning occurs when food has been prepared, handled or stored incorrectly, and some foods are more likely to cause food poisoning than others. The bacteria, or the toxins that they produce, cause food poisoning when their numbers are high enough.
Some people are at a higher risk of getting food poisoning than others. These include pregnant women, the elderly, young children, and people that have an illness.
What Causes Food Poisoning?
The bacteria that cause food poisoning multiply on food very quickly in the right conditions. In ideal conditions, one single bacterium can multiply to over two million in a matter of hours. The bacteria grow best at a temperature of 5 to 60 degrees, which is why foods need to be kept very cold or very hot. Common bacteria such as salmonella, E coli, and campylobacter can be found in our food producing animals, and it is important that care is taken in processing, transport, storage, preparation, and serving of food in order to reduce the risk of contamination.
Symptoms of Food Poisoning
The symptoms of food poisoning vary depending on the specific type of bacteria. However, the common symptoms associated with food poisoning are:
The symptoms may be mild or very severe, and can occur almost straight after you’ve eaten or a number of hours later. Food poisoning symptoms can last for 24 hours to five days. Some food-borne bacteria will cause other symptoms, and it can also lead to other long term illnesses and symptoms.
High Risk Foods
While most people would associate food poisoning with the traditionally risky foods such as chicken and fish, there are other foods that may be potentially dangerous. This is because contaminated food can look, smell, and taste normal. However, the bacteria that cause food poisoning can grow and multiply on some foods more easily than others. Foods that are at high risk of this include:
- meat
- poultry
- dairy products
- eggs
- small goods (e.g. salami and ham)
- seafood
- cooked rice
- cooked pasta
- prepared salads
- prepared fruit salads
Preventing Food Poisoning
The best way to treat food poisoning is to prevent it from happening in the first place. When buying food, buy your hot and cold foods last, and always keep them separate. Don’t buy food that is past its use by date and avoid foods that are in swollen, dented, leaking or otherwise damaged cans and packaging. Never buy cold foods that have been left out of the freezer and ensure that any hot foods are bought steaming hot. If you are buying from the deli, ensure that the staff is using different tongs for different types of food. Avoid cracked eggs and take your shopping home and store it as soon as possible.
Before preparing foods, wash your hands well. Never use the same chopping board for raw and cooked foods. In fact, you should use separate chopping boards for red meat, poultry, fish, and vegetables. Cook foods to at least 75 degrees. Poultry should be cooked until the flesh is white all the way through. Hamburgers, mince, rolled roasts, and sausages should be cooked until the juices run clear. White fish should be cooked until it flakes easily with a fork.
When storing foods, keep raw food separated from cooked food. Raw food should be kept at the bottom of the fridge so that juices cannot run down and contaminate other food. Ensure that the fridge temperature is below 5 degrees and the freezer is below minus 15 degrees. If storing hot foods, try and keep the temperature above 60 degrees. All foods should be covered and never store food in open cans.
Treating Food Poisoning
Most common types of food poisoning will subside within 24 hours without treatment so sometimes it is best to do nothing. You should replace fluids. If you are feeling nauseous, try limiting your diet to clear liquids and soups until you are feeling better. Dry crackers and toast can also help.
Ginger is one of the best home remedies for food poisoning. Take a small piece of ginger and make it into a paste by mixing it with buttermilk. Take this two to three times a day. Ginger extract can also be taken along with lemon juice for fast relief from nausea, vomiting, and so forth. Ginger tea is also helpful.
Papaya can be helpful. Take a raw papaya and grate it or cut it into small cubes. Add papaya to a glass of water, allow it to boil for 15 to 20 minutes, strain the mixture and then drink it. This can be done two to three times a day.
Take an equal amount (10-15 seeds) of cumin and fenugreek seeds and powder them. Add the powder to a glass of water and drink the mixture. This relieves vomiting and abdominal pain.
Two to three tablespoons of basil leaf extract mixed with half a cup of fresh curd with a little black salt and black pepper added taken three to four times a day gives fast relief from vomiting, weakness and body pain.
Apply gentle heat to the stomach to relieve spasm or pain and also the tendency for vomiting.
Originally published on Dec 16, 2008
