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- Answer: There are a number of ways in which food can make you sick.Chemicals, heavy metals, foreign objects, food-infesting insects,parasites, fungi, viruses and bacteria are all possible causes.
The greatest, and by far most common risk of becoming ill or dyingfrom food is from contamination with harmful microorganisms,commonly known as germs. The likelihood of becoming seriously illby microorganisms is far greater than that of pesticide risks,environmental contaminants, nutritional imbalances, food additivesand natural toxicants.
Microorganisms include bacteria, viruses, molds, and parasites. Ofthe many types of microorganisms, bacteria and viruses are themajor source of foodborne illness cases in most of the world.
Microbial food poisonings or foodborne illnesses mainly fall intoone of two categories. The first is foodinfection, where the microorganism itself growsinside your body and is the source of your symptoms. An example ofhtis is Salmonella. The second type is foodintoxication, where a chemical or natural toxin(often produced as a by-product of bacteria present in the food -known as an exotoxin) causes your symptoms or illness. A bacteriaknown to cause intoxication is Staphylocuccos aureus.
Most bacterial food poisonings are actually food infections. Thesymptoms of food infection and food intoxication are similar. Bothcan produce food poisoning related symptoms, such as headaches,vomiting, abdominal pain, cramps, diarrhea, dehydration, and so itis not always clear which you are experiencing. Some dangerousbacteria such as Clostridium botulinum can cause death ifa person is not treated immediately. - Answer: When cooking depending on the thing you are cooking. You usually cook for an internal temperate between 145 and 165 Fahrenheit. However it should be noted there are bacterias that have been found to survive temperatures in excess of 400 degrees. That being said well packaged and cared for foods can usually have less cooking than the 145-165 range.
This is why nice restaurants can serve very rare meat, while say Cracker Barrel HAS to cook your food to medium or well done. Can food which is contaminated with food poisoning microorganisms still look taste and smell normal?
Answer: Yes, there is often a period in which there are enoughmicroorganisms to make you sick but not enough to be detectable bythe look, taste, or smell of the food. But eventually those thingswill be affected.
One very early warning that usually occurs well before thereare enough microorganisms to make you sick is the surface of thefood develops a "slimy" feel. It is still usually safe to eat suchfood when this just begins, especially if you cook it as themicroorganisms are still only on the surface of the food. But becautious! Note: this does not apply to ground meats and choppedfoods, if they get "slimy" throw them out immediately!- Answer: Yes it can. If it is particularly bad then it tends to happen earlier.
- Answer: In 2006, Taco Bell in the New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware area had an outbreak of E. coli which was apparently traced to lettuce. See Related Links.
- Answer: Not washing hands after using the toilet along with using dirty cleaning cloths are poor hygeine habits, that may cause food contamination or poisoning.
- Answer: No. Some food poisoning may require hours before enough bacteria are present to cause symptoms. In fact, that is typical. Salmonella, one of the most common food poisonings generally does not manifest until 24 hours after ingestion.
- Answer: She had eggs. She was actually pregnant.
- Answer: Yes, if stall or restaurant is unhygienic. Nowadays, many fastfoods contain materials which are preserved for long time and thus have food additives in them. They may prove harmful.