Have you ever experienced one of those intense stomach cramps just after dining out? They don’t always come suddenly. No! Sometimes, it takes hours because you start feeling unwell. The worst is when you invite friends and family and have a memorable feast, then one or all of you get ill.
Foodborne illnesses can disrupt your life like that. And it’s a common problem that makes headlines for causing health issues even in lavish restaurants. Your symptoms can range from mild to severe depending on many factors, including your health status. Sometimes, eating contaminated food can even be life-threatening if you don’t get medical attention fast.
So what diseases are these, and what triggers them? Let’s discuss more below.
Common Causes of Foodborne Illnesses
Foodborne illnesses come from pathogens that contaminate your food at any stage from food production and handling. Thus, if you’re a caterer for large groups, you should pass your food handler test to demonstrate your knowledge of safety procedures. But that doesn’t mean home cooks should not know about food safety and handling because unsanitary conditions in your kitchen might create an environment conducive to various pathogens.
Of course, there are common culprits. For instance, if you suffer from a foodborne illness caused by bacteria, it’s likely from pathogens like Salmonella, strains of E. coli, or Listeria. The latter is quite aggressive as it can survive the cold temperatures in your fridge, posing a risk of food poisoning from ready-to-eat foods.
Although parasitic infections are less common, they can also be severe. For instance, if you eat food contaminated with Giardia, you may suffer from giardiasis, which affects your digestive system. On the other hand, eating foods contaminated with Toxoplasma can cause toxoplasmosis. It’s a common culprit in undercooked meat and has potentially severe consequences for pregnant women or people with weak immunity.
Among the most ruthless viral pathogens is norovirus. Firstly, it’s highly contagious. Secondly, it can cause severe outbreaks in communal settings, meaning you’re at risk when you eat in unhygienic places. Hepatitis A is another critical viral infection arising from contaminated foods. At its worst, it can affect your liver.
Fungal pathogens also inhabit our pantries, causing molds that produce aflatoxins.
So, how do these pathogens get into your food or drink? Let’s get into the specifics.
Contaminated Food and Water
As mentioned earlier, pathogens can contaminate your food and water before it gets on your plate. Hence, we’re talking about farming activities like using fertilizers and pesticides, livestock consuming contaminated feed and water, and farmers using contaminated equipment.
For instance, using dirty irrigation water can contaminate your fruits and vegetables. You must have heard about beef recalls because of E. coli contamination.
Cross-contamination of Food and Water
Even when some food is safe as it leaves the farm, there may be cross-contamination during handling. For example, bacteria from raw meat can contaminate vegetables when you use an unclean cutting board or knife. Cross-contamination can also occur because your kitchen surfaces or utensils are not clean.
Poor Hygiene
Your dirty hands can transfer pathogens from surfaces to your food. You might say you always clean your hands first, but maybe improper handwashing is the reason for your constant stomach aches. If you don’t use soap and water and at least wash your hands for 20 seconds, then you are doing it wrong.
The food handlers at restaurants and other dining places also require such hygiene standards as they can transfer pathogens to food. They may even contaminate the food for failing to follow strict hygiene when handling food while sick.
Environmental Factors
Environmental factors in the home or restaurant can also increase the risk of contamination. For instance, you can bring pathogens to food preparation areas through inadequate pest control. Unsanitized kitchen surfaces can also harbor pathogens.
Contaminated Equipment
Using contaminated equipment and utensils is another way foodborne illnesses can spread in your kitchen. Therefore, clean your blenders, grinders, and slicers after food preparation.
Improper Storage and Temperature Control
Failure to use the correct temperatures can promote the growth of bacteria in your storage areas. For example, you can increase bacterial growth by leaving perishable foods like dairy products, meats, and leftovers at room temperature for extended periods. Therefore, consider the appropriate temperature of each food item.
Common Symptoms Arising from Foodborne Illnesses
When you know the symptoms likely to come from contaminated food, you can make better decisions to get timely intervention and treatment. Understanding what or how you may feel when you have a foodborne illness also guides you to stop food handling promptly and prevent pathogen transfer to healthy individuals around you.
These illnesses can manifest in various ways. Therefore, you may experience mild discomfort to severe health issues, depending on the type of pathogen involved and your overall health.
Mild Symptoms
Foodborne illnesses frequently manifest through gastrointestinal issues, making them the first indicators of infection. For instance, nausea is a common symptom. It might start with an uneasy feeling in the stomach that can result in vomiting as your body tries to eliminate the harmful toxins or pathogens. The next thing might be diarrhea if your intestines are irritated and inflamed, causing a rapid transit through the digestive system.
In addition to these gastrointestinal symptoms, you can also have a fever and abdominal cramps. Getting a fever is your immune system’s response to the infection. It attempts to create an inhospitable environment for the pathogens. The abdominal cramps, or stomach pain, can vary in intensity.
Do you know why you get these? Cramps are often due to the contraction of muscles in the intestines as they respond to the infection. Thus, although these symptoms are uncomfortable, it’s your body’s natural response to the infection and should be the first sign to tell you something is wrong.
Symptoms of Severe Cases
If the infection is severe, your symptoms can escalate fast and cause health complications that need urgent medical attention. One of these critical concerns is dehydration, which occurs when you experience prolonged vomiting and diarrhea. Your body loses more fluids than it takes because you are already too weak to focus on your water intake.
Dehydration can increase your heart rate and lower your blood pressure if you do not address it promptly. In addition to those symptoms, losing essential electrolytes, such as sodium and potassium, can cause muscle cramps, weakness, and confusion.
The situation can worsen beyond dehydration and cause organ failure, particularly if you have a weakened immune system. Children and seniors can also suffer from organ failure. If you take longer before getting medical attention, you can suffer from permanent damage. It can also worsen the healing process.
Conclusion
It’s disturbing to know that your favorite food, whether meat or vegetables, can get you sick. Plus, pathogens can be in the food before you pick it up from a store, meaning you should also be concerned about the entire production process from the minute a farmer grows or keeps livestock.
Once you take care of where you source your food, consider how you store and prepare it. Your kitchen should be clean, with sufficient pest control to prevent pests from bringing pathogens, and you should store foods in the correct temperature range. On top of that, you need personal hygiene measures like regular hand washing so that you don’t transfer pathogens from your hands to the food.
