Food poisoning is an illness caused by viruses, bacteria, fungus, poisons, parasites, and chemicals found in foods. It’s not a life-threatening condition that will pass in two or three days. It’s not uncommon, and it’s pretty unpleasant for a person.
During the production and preparation of food, an infectious organism or poisons might contaminate it. It can also happen at home when food is mishandled or cooked incorrectly. Some of these toxins are found in nature, both in food and in the environment. Food poisoning symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea appear within a few hours of ingesting contaminated food.
Causes
Food poisoning is caused by several bacteria contaminating the food. Food contamination happens at several phases of production, cooking, and processing.
- Cooking food at a temperature that is too high or too low
- Inadequate preparation
- Food that has been chilled at an inappropriate temperature
- Using a dusty hand to touch the meal
- consuming food that has passed its use-by date
- Cross-contamination: contamination from other foods, for example, putting food in the refrigerator above the meal to be eaten.
- Cooking with polluted water
- Bacteria, parasites, viruses, and toxins are pathogens that cause food poisoning.
- Parasites
These are not bacteria, but rather other sorts of microorganisms. A parasite is a living entity that lives inside another. Cryptosporidium, Entamoeba histolytica, and Giardia are parasites that can contaminate food. The most common cause of parasite food poisoning is toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasmosis is contracted by consuming food or water contaminated with the excrement of sick cats, as well as raw or undercooked contaminated meat.
- Chemicals and toxins
Toxins are poisons produced by bacteria that infect food and by bacteria themselves. When bacterially contaminated food is reheated or cooked again, toxins are released, resulting in food poisoning. Toxins such as polychlorinated biphenyls can be found in some seafood, particularly oily fish (PCBs). The following are some examples of oily fish:
Tuna sashimi (not canned tuna, which does not count as oily fish)
MackerelsSardinessTroutsSalmon
Some fish have high levels of mercury, which can harm the neural systems of unborn children. As a result, pregnant women should avoid eating the following seafood.
SharksSwordfishsMarlinsVirus
Norovirus and rotavirus are two common viruses that cause food poisoning. Children are more likely to contract rotavirus, but anyone of any age can contract norovirus.
Symptoms
Depending on the sort of contamination that occurred, the symptoms of food poisoning can range from minor to severe. After eating contaminated food, symptoms may appear hours or days later. Among the signs and symptoms are:
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Appetite loss.
- Muscle aches
- Sweating, fever, or chills
- Weakness and a lack of energy
- Stomach discomfort or abdominal cramps
- nauseous (feeling sick)
- Extreme exhaustion (lethargy)
- a throbbing headache
Food poisoning can affect a single individual or a group of people who are exposed to contaminated food.
Medication and treatment
Treatment varies depending on the origin and severity of the condition. Without treatment, food poisoning can be resolved in a few days or even a day for some people, however, it can sometimes continue longer.
Mild diarrhea that lasts more than 24 hours is treated with clear fluids such as oral replacement solutions.
Some people may benefit from medication to alleviate nausea and vomiting. Imodium (Loperamide) and Pepto Bismol can be used to treat diarrhea as well as other issues like nausea.
If you have bacterial food poisoning, such as listeria, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics. Antibiotic medication during pregnancy may help to keep the infection from spreading to the baby.
Prevention
- Avoid the following basic steps to avoid getting food poisoning.
- Hands and utensils should be washed often.
- Before consuming fruits and veggies, make sure they’re clean.
- Raw foods should be kept apart from cooked items.
- Use expired packaged food as little as possible.
- Cook the beef until it reaches an internal temperature of 180 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Avoid eating raw fruits and vegetables without first washing them.
- Maintain a temperature of 4.44o C in your refrigerator and refrigerate properly. Unless you refrigerate your food, it may become infected within 2 hours.
- You should abstain from eating certain foods until you feel better.