Food Poisoning

Food Poisoning

Not all of the old ways are the best ways. Earlier this century, when iceboxes and Depression-era frugality were the norm, untold numbers of people put themselves at risk for contracting food-borne illnesses, says Nancy Cohen, R.D., Ph.D., professor of nutrition at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Even if you can’t quite remember those days, you may follow habits that were started back then. “If you grew up in a time when you were used to being thrifty, saving energy, and saving food and if you grew up with an icebox, you didn’t want to put something warm or hot in the icebox. You cooled it to room temperature first, or the ice would melt,” explains Dr. Cohen. Despite the fact that almost everyone now uses electric refrigerators, the practice of letting food cool still survives, says Dr. Cohen, and it’s dangerous because it allows bacteria in food to be at temperatures in which they thrive.

These bacteria include E. coli, which is found in unpasteurized milk and undercooked ground beef, and salmonella, which is found in raw chicken, raw meat, and eggs. Other foods that come in contact with the bacteria can also become contaminated. But along with these freeloaders are viruses and parasites that give rise to food-borne illnesses, or what’s more commonly called food poisoning. Learning how to prevent food poisoning is critical for seniors, says Margy J. Woodburn, Ph.D., professor emeritus of nutrition and food management at Oregon State University in Corvallis.

“When you do have a food-borne illness, the consequences are more apt to persist or to lead to secondary types of illness,” Dr. Woodburn says. “Your immune system does not respond as quickly or as well as a younger person’s. In fact, if food poisoning is very severe, it can even be life-threatening.”

Other changes in aging bodies can put seniors at risk for contracting food poisoning. For example, one line of defense against salmonella is the acidity of the stomach, but as people age, their stomachs become less acidic, says Sonja Olsen, Ph.D., medical epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “So one of the main natural barriers declines,” she says.

The tricky part of food poisoning can be knowing if you have it at all. Symptoms such as cramps, diarrhea, vomiting, and fever range from mild to severe. Those symptoms might show up within hours of eating the bad food, but sometimes the onset doesn’t begin for days and it can be mistaken for a stomach flu. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can only give an estimated number of food poisoning cases—as many as 33 million every year—because so many cases go unreported.

Because of the terrible consequences of these illnesses—E. coli can cause kidney failure and brain damage—you should check with your doctor immediately if you have frequent or bloody diarrhea or if diarrhea or vomiting lasts more than 24 hours. And if you can, Dr. Woodburn suggests, save a little bit of the food that you suspect made you sick. Your doctor may use it for further testing to determine what type of food-borne illness you’ve contracted.

Try This First

Practice proper preparation. The best way to ensure that you don’t come down with food poisoning is to practice safe food preparation and sanitation to prevent cross-contamination, which occurs when the bacteria in raw meat juices are transferred from a surface to a food that’s eaten without further cooking. If you truss a chicken on the counter, for example, and later make a sandwich on that counter without cleaning it, you risk that kind of contamination.

To stop cross-contamination, stick to the following habits, advises Dr. Woodburn.

• Wash every kitchen surface and utensil with hot soapy water after food has been prepared on it or with it.

• Use disposable paper towels instead of dishcloths to clean and dry utensils or kitchen counters. If you do use dishcloths, get a fresh one every day, Dr. Woodburn says. Otherwise, they can become breeding grounds for bacteria.

• Sponges can also harbor bacteria, so replace them regularly, throw them in the dishwasher, or boil them, Dr. Woodburn suggests.

• When cleaning the sink, use scouring powders with a chlorine base to kill bacteria, Dr. Woodburn warns.

• Wash your hands well with soap and water after handling raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs.

Other Wise Ways

Think cold and shallow. When storing cooked foods, you want the food to cool fast. That means not leaving a cooked dish or perishable foods out at room temperature for more than two hours. “What you want to do is keep foods out of the danger zone, which is 40°F to 140°F,” Dr. Cohen says. Between those two temperatures, bacteria multiply rapidly and cause illness.

While it may be easier to stick an entire pot of something in the fridge, the depth of the food in the pot may not allow it to cool down fast enough. Instead, divide up the food and store it in shallow containers so it’s no more than two inches deep. That will expose the food to the cold air inside the refrigerator and allow it to cool more rapidly.

Coddle with cooling. To avoid spoilage, delicate fruits and vegetables—raspberries and lettuce, for instance—should always be stored in a cool refrigerator. They’ll not only stay fresher but also they’ll be less likely to get bacteria or mold.

Keep the fridge frigid. Sure, you might want to save on electricity bills, but not at the risk of your health. Refrigerators should be kept at 40°F or lower to slow the growth of bacteria, and freezers should be kept at 0°F or lower, Dr. Cohen says. Check the accuracy of the internal temperature setting in your refrigerator with a store-bought refrigerator thermometer.

Make sure your goose is cooked. You want the inside of a chicken or hamburger to be so hot that you kill off harmful bacteria and viruses, so investing in a meat thermometer is a wise precaution. Ground or cubed meat may have bacteria throughout, so cook to a temperature of 160°F (which is medium) or even better to 170°F (which is well-done). Poultry should be cooked to 180°F for optimal taste and safety. When preparing poultry, don’t wash it first, because that gives bacteria a chance to spread.

Sorry, Charlie, no sushi. Eat fish and shellfish that have been cooked. Shellfish, especially oysters, are particularly dangerous when eaten raw, because they often carry viruses and bacteria that cause serious illness, says Dr. Woodburn.

Use a cutting-edge solution. Wash every cutting board with hot soapy water and rinse it. To further sanitize it, you can use a bleach solution. In a small washtub, mix one tablespoon of bleach with one gallon of water. Dip the cutting board in the solution, then let it air dry, says Dr. Cohen.

Ditch the nicked ones. Don’t use a cutting board with lots of deep nicks in it, regardless of whether it is wooden or plastic, Dr. Cohen advises. No matter how well you think you’ve dried it, there can still be moisture in those nicks, where bacteria survive.

Let water run over. Fruits and vegetables should be washed under running water or washed twice, Dr. Woodburn says. Leafy vegetables such as lettuce should be separated and washed as leaves, not as a whole head. If you’re peeling a fruit or vegetable, it’s still best to wash it first. The action of the knife cutting into the skin can spread germs.

Clean your hands. An excellent strategy for washing your hands is using soap and water as hot as you can stand for 20 seconds or as long as it takes to sing “Happy Birthday,” recommends Dr. Woodburn. When you are washing, use a lot of friction. Scrub between fingers, under nails, and under jewelry. Dry your hands with disposable paper towels, not dishtowels, which are often breeding grounds for bacteria and could recontaminate your hands after washing.

Follow the law of thaw. Frozen foods should be thawed in the refrigerator, not at room temperature. Foods may be thawed in the microwave but must be immediately cooked, not left out or returned to the refrigerator, says Dr. Cohen.

Throw it out. It may seem like common sense, but if a food doesn’t look right or smell right, don’t take a chance by eating it. Don’t think that if you cut or scrape off a moldy part, the rest will be okay to eat. “There are microscopic edges to that mold,” explains Dr. Cohen. You may be able to see where the mold is growing, “but what else is growing that you can’t see?” Most leftovers don’t last more than a few days stored in the fridge, she notes.

If it bulges, throw it out. Bacteria that cause botulism like to hide out in canned foods, in a low-acid and airless environment. While modern methods of preparing canned goods have reduced the risk of botulism, approximately 100 cases of the disease still occur in the United States every year, a quarter of which are transmitted through food, says Dr. Olsen. If you have a can that is swollen or leaking—typical signs of botulism—throw it out. You don’t even want to taste it. Botulism causes blurred vision, difficulty swallowing and speaking, paralysis, and sometimes death.

Look for a clean, well-lit place. When you’re eating out, certain strategies can help you avoid food poisoning. Avoid dishes that are made with raw or undercooked eggs, such as hollandaise sauce, Caesar salad, fresh mayonnaise, and chiffon pie. Ask your server to ask the cook whether these dishes have been made traditionally by using raw eggs, or with a pasteurized commercial egg product. If it’s the pasteurized product, you won’t have to worry about possible contamination from salmonella (the bacteria that can cause serious digestive problems), explains Dr. Cohen.

Scan the hand that feeds you. Check out your server. Are his hands clean? Is he handling your food in a sanitary manner? Does the whole restaurant seem to be tidy and well-run? If the answers are no, the restaurant may also have a problem following food safety standards, cautions Dr. Woodburn.

Monitor the warmth. If foods that are supposed to be served hot or cold are served to you lukewarm, send them back, says Dr. Woodburn. She also advises caution when eating salad mixtures such as pasta salad or chicken salad, which are handled after they are prepared and may not have been stored at the correct temperatures.

If It Gets You

If you do get food poisoning, it’s often accompanied by diarrhea or vomiting. Your doctor may recommend an electrolyte drink such as Recharge to help restore lost fluids and minerals. In addition, here are some home remedies that can help you recover.

Brew a broth. A broth that’s high in potassium might help since potassium is one of the electrolytes your body needs, advises Sherry Briskey, naturopathic physician and staff physician at Southwest Naturopathic Medical Center in Tempe, Arizona. To four cups of water add one cup each of diced celery, diced carrots, parsley, and spinach and bring to a boil. Drink three to four cups for two to three days during and after diarrhea or vomiting has stopped. If diarrhea or vomiting continue, contact a doctor. Not only will drinking the broth contribute to your liquid intake but also the mineral-rich vegetables in it will help you restore electrolytes.

Try charcoal. Some naturopathic doctors recommend activated charcoal. Capsules are available in drugstores and health food stores. Or you can eat a piece of burnt toast for the same effect, says Thomas Kruzel, naturopathic physician in private practice in Portland, Oregon. “That will do in a pinch,” he says. The one thing to remember is not to be alarmed when the charcoal turns your stool black.

Go on a BRAT diet. One way to lessen the effects of diarrhea is to focus on a BRAT diet for two to three days or until symptoms stop, Dr. Briskey says. Those letters stand for bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. “Those kinds of foods help to firm up the stool a little bit,” she says.