Danger from food poisoning: You should avoid these foods!

Health risks: Which foods you shouldn't eat

Nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting: Food poisoning can be very uncomfortable. Certain dishes pose a particular health risk. An expert explains which foods are better not to be consumed.

Food poisoning can have different causes

There are generally different causes for food poisoning: "On the one hand, it is possible that certain microorganisms have changed the food in such a way that toxins have formed", the hkk health insurance company writes on its website. This happens, for example, if mold spreads on the bread or in the yoghurt. "On the other hand, there are certain bacteria in the food that multiply in the digestive tract - and cause symptoms there," it continues. An expert from the USA explains which foods are better avoided to avoid food poisoning.

Avoid raw milk

Bill Marler, a lawyer specializing in food safety, reports on his Food Poison Journal portal about foods that he never eats because this would increase the risk of food poisoning.

The Seattle lawyer consistently refrains from raw milk, because unpasteurized milk can be contaminated with bacteria, viruses and parasites.

The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) also stated in a statement that the consumption of untreated milk can lead to serious illnesses.

The experts advise consumers to boil raw milk before consuming it.

Marler doesn't believe in packaged juices either. One of his first cases as a lawyer involved food infections with Escherichia coli from unpasteurized apple juice.

Pathogens in raw sprouts

Raw sprouts are also not on the table at Marler.

As the lawyer writes, uncooked or lightly cooked sprouts have been linked to more than 30 bacterial outbreaks (mainly Salmonella and E. coli) in the United States since the mid-1990s.

All types of sprouts can spread infections caused by bacterial contamination of their seeds.

"There were too many outbreaks to ignore the risk of sprout contamination," said Marler. "These are products that I simply don't eat at all." He added that he eats them when they are cooked.

Heat the meat properly

According to the expert, no raw meat should be eaten either.

"If it is not properly heated to 160 degrees Fahrenheit (70 degrees Celsius), it can lead to poisoning by E. coli and Salmonella and other bacterial diseases."

However, in good restaurants he would also choose a steak that was only “medium” fried.

Listeria in pre-cut fruits and vegetables

According to Marler, pre-washed or pre-cut fruit and vegetables are avoided "like the plague".

The more a food is treated and processed, the more likely it is to become contaminated.

The lawyer buys unwashed, uncut goods in small quantities and eats them within three to four days to reduce the risk of listeria.

Listeria (Listeria monocytogenes) can trigger so-called “listeriosis” in humans. The condition can cause symptoms such as vomiting, muscle pain, diarrhea and fever.

Salmonella outbreaks due to eggs

Raw and uncooked eggs have led to numerous salmonella outbreaks in the United States in the past decades and are therefore left out of the picture by Marler.

In this country, too, there is a constant warning of salmonella infections from eggs.

"I think the risk of egg contamination with Salmonella is much lower than it was 20 years ago, but I still eat my eggs well cooked," said Marler.

Raw oysters and shellfish

There are more raw foods that the lawyer rejects: oysters and shellfish.

According to Marler, raw shellfish - especially oysters - have been causing more and more food poisoning lately.

The increase has to do with the warmer waters, which generate more microbial growth.

Oysters “take in everything that is in the water,” explains Marler. "If there is bacteria in the water, it gets into your system and if you eat it you could run into trouble."

The lawyer said he has seen many more such poisonings in the past five years than in the past 20 years. "It is simply not worth the risk." (Ad)

Author and source information

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