Food-borne microbes are often found in food that is prepared and served in the home. If a food is contaminated with one of these microorganisms, you can get sick and even die.
The FDA has set an acceptable level for most pathogens in foods: 1) 0.5 mg/100 g (100-fold lower than the current acceptable level of 0.5 mg/100 mL) 2) 0.5 mg/100 mL (100-fold lower than the current acceptable level of 0.5 mg/100 mL) 3) 0.2 mg/100 mL (20-fold lower than the current acceptable level of 0.
Bacteria are everywhere. Even in seemingly safe water sources, there are thousands of different strains of bacteria, viruses, and fungi, not to mention the trillions of microscopic organisms in and on food surfaces. When you eat a meal, you become exposed to all kinds of bacteria, viruses, and fungi. When you drink a beverage, you are most likely to be exposed to more microorganisms in the form of bacteria, viruses, and parasites.
Foods can cause a wide array of diseases, but bacteria are the one that you may be most concerned about. Many people eat without proper hygiene, but bacteria in your stomach have a powerful effect on your immune system. Not eating with hygiene can leave you susceptible to a variety of conditions, including the potentially life threatening illness E. coli.
When we eat, our immune systems become activated. The immune response to a food’s nutritional contents can help protect us from infection. But it’s also possible that the microbes we encounter by the time we wake up are already too many to be effectively contained inside of our bodies. In this case, our immune systems turn into what’s called a “cytokine storm.” This means that cells in the body release molecules called cytokines into the blood, which then travel to surrounding organs.
Food has always been the ultimate threat to health. However, the introduction of the internet has changed this. Now any food that is consumed, whether it’s cooked or raw, can be tracked. From a simple trip to the grocery store to the delivery of food to a restaurant, we are now a global community on the web. This has made it easier to determine which foods are unsafe.
There are a few ways we can protect ourselves from foodborne illnesses. Most of them are a bit vague and we want to discuss in a moment. But all of the following are protective responses to encountering food-borne microbes except: A) Wash your hands a lot. B) Do not eat the food that’s contaminated with food-borne microbes. C) Eat the contaminated food and let it sit on the shelf for longer than you should. D) Eat food out of a sealed container.
BPA-free plastic! We’re here to tell you that you should never put your baby’s and your own food in the same plastic container. BPA-free plastic is safer for babies and for adults. Blog: Do you know what the food you eat is? Introduction: Food is a complex mixture of chemicals, nutrients and other chemicals that can be found in plants, animals or in any other form.
