I have crippling stomach cramps. No fever.
So much for my cast iron stomach. Ugh.
Tip of the Day: If food smells like garbage, it is. (In my defense, sour cream throws a monkey wrench in that otherwise simple rule…)
I have crippling stomach cramps. No fever.
So much for my cast iron stomach. Ugh.
Tip of the Day: If food smells like garbage, it is. (In my defense, sour cream throws a monkey wrench in that otherwise simple rule…)
And stinky cheese. I have eaten cheese that smelled like a rotting corpse… and it was GOOD!
Shawn,
Not that you necessarily want to hear this right now, but there are two types of food poisoning.
The first type (which you may have) is created by bacteria that create a toxin as they multiply, and It is this toxin that causes you to become sick. Because the toxin is already in the food, sickness sets in rapidly. Cooking does not affect the safety of this food, and is why you are not supposed to buy bulging and dented cans of food.
If you begin begin to throw up, please have your wife monitor you carefully, and take you to the hospital if you have been throwing up for an extended period of time.
If you’ve survived that, then the second–and far more common–kind of food poisoning occurs when food is colonized by bacteria that do not cause sickness upon the immediate consumption of food. These bacteria take up residence in your gut and begin reproducing, and it is that reproduction that eventually–up to two weeks–makes you sick.
This is the far more common type of food sickness, and most people do not even realize that they are suffering from food poisoning when they suffer from this type of illness.
Most important, however, is the fact that the bacteria that cause this type of illness can be killed by heat. Once your food has reached an internal temperature of 160 F you can guarantee that the good is safe to eat.
The dangers of these types of bacteria come when people 1) do not cook their food to a high enough temperature to kill the bacteria and 2) do not thoroughly clean cooking surfaces which allows bacteria to spread, and 3) do not thoroughly wash foods (i.e. fruits and vegetables) before eating, leaving the bacteria on the surface of the food. Berries are especially problematic, as it is difficult to thoroughly clean them.
Again, if you are sick (this will most commonly be diarrhea) for more than a day, please consult a doctor.
To combat the second type of bacteria:
Wash food surfaces thoroughly both before and after food preparation.
Do not eat ground meat that has not reached an internal temperature of 160 F. Solid cuts of meat are safe once the outside of the meat has reached this temperature, but ground meats have the surface bacteria ground into the inside, so a thorough temperature must be reached to kill all bacteria.
Thoroughly wash all fruits and vegetables before eating. I usually use a vinegar solution to wash mine. (Red wine or raspberry vinegar works well for berries and other fruits if you’re worried about taste.)
Eat yogurt. The healthy bacteria in yogurt can combat the dangerous bacteria. So eat a LOT of yogurt.
So there you go. More than you ever wanted to know about food poisoning. Chances are you have it quite often without even knowing in, but it is especially dangerous for young children and the elderly.
See: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/foodborneinfections_g.htm
(And now you know some of the exciting things you can learn in public health classes!)
:shakes head:
Silly man. If you don’t take care of yourself, which blog will we read for laughs? Nathan’s? It sure as heck won’t be mine.
Food poisoning sucks. Just be careful. I’m not a doctor (don’t even play one on TV), but several family members who are nurses suggested small sips of water or ice chips to keep hydrated, then clear liquids, and when done, ease back into eating, avoiding dairy products, caffeine, alcohol, and fatty or highly seasoned foods. And if the cramping worsens, or you get a fever, call a doctor.
Hope you feel better soon.
So, wait. My 38¢ didn’t help?