Food poison
After the arrival of various restaurants and food in
the market like Chinese, Continental, Italian, our stomachs have become
confused along with our lives. On weekends and on tourist days, the number of
people who eat colorful foods without knowing what they are and then take leave
the next day and run to the bathroom and bedroom is slowly increasing. One of
the consequences of this modern lifestyle is headache.
Food poison:
Food poisoning, also called foodborne illness, is
illness caused by eating contaminated food. Generally, food poisoning is caused
by bacteria, viruses, parasites etc.
Symptoms:
v
Symptoms of a common food poison may
include anyone or all of the following: abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting,
loss of appetite, low-grade fever, fatigue, headache and fainting.
v
Diarrhea for more than three consecutive
days, high fever, loss of consciousness to the extent that one is unable to
speak or see, severe dehydration, dry tongue, urinary retention etc. severe
food poison problem. So, consult a doctor without delay.
Bacteria:
Most food poisoning problems are caused by eating food
contaminated with bacteria. Bacterial infections like E.coli, Listeria,
Salmonella play a major role in this. Bacteria such as Campylobacter and
C.botulinum also cause food poison.
Parasites:
Compared to food poison caused by bacterial
infections, food poison caused by parasites are less common. But food-borne
parasites are more dangerous. The parasites Toxoplasma are notable among them.
Parasites inhabit our digestive tract. Parasites affect the gut during
pregnancy and when the immune system is weakened.
Virus:
There are chances of food poisoning caused by
microorganism called Norovirus. Rarely, it can even cause death in some people.
Rota virus and Astro virus will exhibit similar symptoms. Food poisoning is
also caused by Hepatitis virus A.
How does infection occur?
v
Microorganisms called pathogens are
commonly found in all foods. These are mostly destroyed during cooking and
heating. Foods eaten raw lead to infection with pathogens.
v
While cooking, cooking without
cleaning hands also causes infections.
v
Water, non-vegetarian, egg and dairy
products are perishable soon. So, food poisoning can easily occur through
these.
Impact:
Generally, food poisoning can happen to anyone.
However, the problem becomes serious when food poisoning occurs in people who
have an autoimmune problem. Also, people with weak immune system, children, elderly,
pregnant women, etc., are more affected when food poisoning occurs.
Diagnosis of food poisoning:
v Physical exam:
Ø
Check blood pressure and pulse for
signs of dehydration.
Ø
Examine the body for signs of fever
or dehydration.
Ø
Use a stethoscope to listen to sounds
in the abdomen.
Ø
Tap on the abdomen to check for
tenderness or pain.
v Note:
Blood in the stool may be a sign of an infection with
bacteria or parasites.
v Stool tests:
A health care professional will give you a container
for catching and storing the stool. Stool tests can show the presence of
viruses, bacteria or parasites.
v Blood tests:
Blood tests can show signs of certain infections or
signs of complications such as dehydration.
Treatment:
v
In most cases, people with food
poisoning get better on their own without medical treatment.
v
You can treat food poisoning by
replacing lost fluids and electrolytes to prevent dehydration. Drink plenty of
liquids. If vomiting is a problem, try sipping small amounts of clear liquids. Adults, eating saltine crackers can also help
replace electrolytes. Older adults, adults with a
weakened immune system, and adults with
severe diarrhea or symptoms of dehydration should drink oral rehydration
solutions, such as Pedialyte, Naturalyte, Infalyte, and Ceralyte.
v
Over-the-counter medicines: In some cases, adults can take over-the-counter
medicines such as loperamide and bismuth subsalicylate to treat diarrhea caused
by food poisoning.
To eat:
v
Foods difficult to digest should be
avoided as there will be vomiting and diarrhea during food poisoning.
v
It is better to take liquid food like
juice and porridge.
v
Easy dishes like idly, idiyappam are
the best.
To avoid:
v Avoid
foods that are difficult for digestion.
v Avoid
dairy products, fatty foods, processed foods, foods with added white sugar,
coffee, tea, fried foods, maida foods like parotta, non-veg.
Ways to avoid food poisoning:
v Frequent
consumption of spicy foods should be avoided.
v Hotel
foods should be avoided as much as possible as we do not know when it was
prepared.
v Have
easy-to-digest foods while travelling. Drink plenty of water.
v Eating
fiber-rich vegetables, fruits, and greens keeps our digestive system healthy.
Immunity will be improved.
v Hands
should be thoroughly cleaned before cooking. Similarly, vegetables, fruits and
non-vegetarian items should be cooked after cleaning them thoroughly.
v Avoid
eating raw food items.
v Repeated
reheating of food should be avoided.
v Don’t
reheat and eat food placed in the fridge more than once.
v It
is best to cook non-vegetarian food once and eat it immediately.
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