Food Poisoning: Causes & Long-Term Effects Food poisoning is something that is actually quite common and is very easy to pick up, since we deal us food every single day it's important that learn about food poisoning, the general concepts behind it, the things that could result in someone developing food poisoning, and of course how all of this will affect a person's health. It can be a difficult and complex subject to touch on and there are many different types of problems that could occur. We'll be explaining everything in this article. Concept of Food Poisoning It's likely that a person may experience food poisoning when their food becomes contaminated with different types of harmful bacteria such as germs, chemicals or toxins. There are certain bacterias which are much more prominent than others and these are Escherichia coli (also known as E. coli), campylobacter, salmonella, and also certain viruses such as the norvirus. The most common type of food poisoning is an infection in the bowel area but there are many more cases of this and it can affect different parts of your system. Even though food poisoning can result in some relatively nasty side effects (which will be discussed more below) most people can overcome the illness without the need for treatment. What Causes Food Poisoning There are an abundance of causes related to food poisoning and this is why it's so important to be well-informed about the subject. As mentioned above, food poisoning occurs when the food becomes contaminated with bacteria or other harmful germs – the food can actually become contaminated during any stage of the production, processing or even cooking. There are many ways in which the general public can get food poisoning, some of the most common causes of food poisoning are: • Failing to cook the food thoroughly i.e. under-cooking. This is especially true with foods such as meats and poultry. • Consuming foods after they have been touched by someone who is ill – this is why it's very important to always wash your hands before you prepare food but sometimes even this isn't enough and extra precautions must be taken. • Failing to store food at the correct temperature – some food has to be stored below 5 degrees Celsius and failing to do so could result in the spread of bacteria. • Keeping food out at room temperature instead of keeping it chilled in the refrigerator. How Does This Affect the Health? In most cases food poisoning isn't very serious and the majority of people will be able to recover quite easily without the need for any treatment – the only thing that will be required would be an adequate amount of rest and water. A person will experience symptoms if they get food poisoning and the severity and onset of these symptoms will vary depending on what type of food was consumed and what kind of bacteria the
food was contaminated with. Some very common symptoms that will almost always occur are nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. The symptoms listed above are common and quite frankly less severe symptoms. They will generally only last for a day or two and then their effects will start to diminish. During the time you are experiencing the symptoms it's important to keep well rested and properly hydrated as this will speed up the recovery. There are many other symptoms associated with food poisoning and these include muscle pain, chills, loss of appetite, stomach cramps, and chills, a high temperature and abdominal pain. Some of these symptoms may be a bit more severe but you can expect to make a full recovery after only a few days of experiencing the symptoms. If you happen to develop any symptoms that are more serious than the ones listed then it would be a good idea to contact your doctor. Food poisoning can sometimes be very dangerous and it's important to watch out for this as much as possible, in most cases you will just experiencing an upset stomach a slight case of diarrhea but it's best not to take the risk. There are an abundance of ways in which you can prevent food poisoning – the best way is to ensure that you maintain a high standard of food safety and keep your kitchen clean at all times. Remember to always keep your hands clean when you are around food in order to prevent the spreading of harmful bacteria; it would also behoove of you to cover up your hands if you have any cuts or scars that may spread bacteria onto the food. For more details: