Food Poisoning is actually an acute food-borne illness that we get after eating such food that is contaminated with bacteria, toxins, parasites or viruses. Here we are discussing some of its Culprits, Symptoms and the Cares.

General Perpetrators: Some General Perpetrators are poorly cooked meat, raw foods and unwashed vegetables. These harbour germs that cause food poison. More often food poisoning occurs through contaminated meat, poultry, eggs, milk and seafood.

Symptoms of Food Poisoning:

There is no fixed set of symptoms that can define the illness but due to different food poisoning, there can be different symptoms. Symptoms usually occur within hours of consuming contaminated food, but sometimes can even take days to manifest.

Some general symptoms of food poisoning are Nausea, Stomach cramps, Fever and Diarrhea.

~ In severe cases, there might be blood in the stools and dehydration as a result of fluid loss.

~ Some exceptions like botulism (an acute paralytic disease caused by the neurotoxin, botulin, especially in food), might be present with nerve symptoms, like weakness and difficulty swallowing rather than digestive system problems.

What should you do if you have food poisoning?

Generally, symptoms resolve by themselves without any specific treatment, except in severe cases.

Keep yourself hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids.

Some Serious/Warning Signs:

Food poisoning often needs no hospitalisation. But do seek medical attention if you have one or more of the following: 

  • High fever
  • Blood in the stools
  • Prolonged vomiting may be for some hours (which can eventually cause dehydration)
  • Signs of dehydration, including a decrease in urination, a dry mouth and throat, and dizziness
  • Diarrhea that lasts more than three days

Steps you can take to prevent Food Poisoning?

In the case of food poisoning, prevention is certainly better than cure.

i. You should be very much conscious for the cleanliness and always wash your hands before touching food and always wash your hands after using the restroom, changing diapers or handling pets as well as after handling raw meat, poultry, seafood or eggs.

ii. Prevent cross-contamination via cutting boards, knives, sponges and countertops by keeping these clean and dry. Besides make sure you clean surfaces thoroughly before preparing food on them.

iii. Wash all products properly before cooking them. Wash the vegetables and fruits in running water to remove dirt and grime upon them. Never defrost food at room temperature. Use the refrigerator, running water or the microwave oven.

iv. Cook food to the right temperature to ensure that illness-causing bacteria are killed. If you are cooking at low temperature, in that case the bacteria causing illness will not be killed.

v. Cook eggs till the yolk is firm and the half firmness causes the food poisoning sometimes.

You have another reason to do this: avidin, a component in raw eggs can also prevent the absorption of biotin, an important B vitamin.

vi. Refrigerate leftovers promptly. Avoid letting prepared food stand at room temperature for more than two hours.

vii. Do not pack your refrigerator. Cool air must circulate within to keep the temperature right and your food safe.

viii. If you have a diarrhea illness, avoid cooking for other people i.e. avoid going into the kitchen.

ix. Packaged foods often have expiration dates. Check them before you eat something.

x. While eating out, make sure the food is hot. As far as possible, avoid eating foods that have not been freshly prepared.

xi. Look at what you are eating and smell it! Your sense of smell might not be the best in the animal kingdom but, most often, it is sharp enough to check if something has gone bad.

xii. Always avoid drinking unpasteurised fluids or untreated surface water that can led towards food poisoning.