We often prefer eating junk food in cafes and ignore the hygiene and safety attached to it, as the food smells and tastes heavenly, be it the Panipuri bhaiya or the local Chat bhandar. But what people often fail to acknowledge is that this compromise can result in some serious health conditions and one of them is food poisoning. If the food is undercooked, contaminated, or is not cooked in a hygienic manner, the chances of food poisoning become higher. Therefore, in a conversation with Dr. Sanjay Jain, MBBS and MD (Medicine), working with Apple Hospital, Indore, we learned more about the disease, the reasons behind it, and how it can be prevented.
What Is Food Poisoning?
Dr. Sanjay Jain explains that the biggest reason for food poisoning is an unhealthy diet and lifestyle. When we eat food that is infected with bacteria, viruses, and other microbes or toxic substances, our body produces certain harmful chemicals or toxins generated by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum. This causes Botulism disease, which is one of the most prevalent types of food poisoning and majorly affects our intestines. It is usually the children and elderly who are more prone to food poisoning as their immunity is comparatively weak.
What Causes It?
Apart from the consumption of contaminated food and an unhealthy lifestyle, there are several other reasons that can cause food poisoning.
- Consumption of contaminated and undercooked foods is the main reason for food poisoning. And not just food, beverages too can cause it.
- Eating stale food
- Using dirty or contaminated water to wash fruits and vegetables, for washing utensils or using the same water for cooking.
- Leaving the cooked food open/uncovered can invite flies and mosquitoes to sit on it and spread harmful bacteria, leaving the food contaminated
- Food items sold on hand-carts in the open or on the road-side attract dust particles, causing contamination.
- Not just contaminated food, but unhygienic cooking areas and eating food with unwashed hands too can cause the illness.