BY GEORGE NAVA TRUE II
SUMMER is the best time for outdoor activities. It’s great for beach parties, picnics, and all kinds of gatherings. But because of the pandemic, you’re likely to spend it at home. Still, the hot weather is not always good for food. The latter may be contaminated or spoil easily because of the warm temperature. This makes food poisoning a possibility for everyone.
Common symptoms
Food poisoning is caused by bacteria, viruses, and parasites or their toxins that contaminate food while the latter is being prepared or handled.
Depending on the cause of the problem, the symptoms of food poisoning are fever, nausea, vomiting, bloody or watery diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. They may appear a few hours after eating contaminated food and may last for hours or days. In others, these may show up days or even weeks later.
If symptoms persist and are severe, see a doctor immediately to avoid dehydration and death. This happens when the body loses a lot of water, including essential minerals and salts. It can be a problem in the elderly, infants, and people with chronic diseases like diabetes and AIDS who don’t drink a lot of fluids.
Be wary of extreme pain, diarrhea that lasts for more than three days, bloody vomit or stools, and a high fever. Warning signs to watch out for include a dry mouth, little or no urination, excessive thirst, weakness, and dizziness.
Tips and tricks
To prevent food poisoning, clean your hands with warm, soapy water before and after handling or preparing food. Hot, soapy water should be used to wash utensils, cutting boards, and other surfaces.
Don’t mix raw meat, fish, and poultry with ready-to-eat foods while shopping, preparing, or storing food to prevent cross-contamination. This is the transfer of harmful organisms from one surface to another.
Use a food thermometer while cooking to ensure that food is cooked properly. The correct temperature for cooking ground beef is 160 F (71.1 C); steaks, roasts, and chops, such as lamb and pork, should be at least 145 F (62.8 C); while the chicken is okay at 165 F (73.9 C).
Perishable foods have to be refrigerated as soon as possible. Do this within two hours after buying or preparing them. If the room temperature is hot, refrigeration should be done in an hour.
Never thaw food at room temperature but defrost it in the refrigerator. If you use a microwave for this, the cook food immediately after it has thawed.
What to avoid
Because food poisoning can be life-threatening for kids, pregnant women, seniors, and people with weak immune systems, these people should avoid raw foods, unpasteurized milk, milk products, and juices, and uncooked hot dogs, luncheon meats, and deli meats.
If you’re not sure whether a certain food has been prepared, served, or stored safely, don’t think twice about throwing it. You won’t save money by eating spoiled food and one that has been left at room temperature for a long time may be contaminated. You can’t fix this by cooking so get rid of it. The food in question may look and smell fine, but you can never be sure so don’t take chances.
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National Press Club and Philippine Dental Association awardee George N. True II has written two bestsellers based on his popular column which has been running for almost 40 years. For questions about health, email georgenavatrue@yahoo.com./PN
