Lately, it seems that there has been a lot of news coverage surrounding the recent salmonella break-outs that have been tied to peanuts and pistachios. While the reports talked about how many people were getting sick and which brands to avoid, I noticed that there wasn’t much discussion about salmonella itself.
So, last night after turning off the news, I thought I could help clear some of the confusion about salmonella with a blog post. We all know it sounds pretty scary and like something we should avoid, but it’s important to understand what it is and what we can do to minimize our chance getting salmonella poisoning.
So let’s start at the very best place to start: the beginning! What is salmonella? In basic terms, salmonella is bacteria. There are actually over 2,300 serotypes of bacteria in the salmonella family. However, two types are the most common here in the United States: Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Typhimurium. These alone account for almost half of all human salmonella infections!
Now, when a person has salmonella poisoning (or salmonellosis as it’s called in the science world), the most common symptoms include:
-
Diarrhea
-
Abdominal cramps
-
Fever
These tend to manifest within 8 to 72 hours after contaminated food has been eaten.
Many people recover from salmonella poisoning without treatment. However, salmonella poisoning can be life-threatening, particularly for infants and young children, pregnant women and older adults. If you suspect you have salmonella poisoning, it is recommended that you see your doctor to prevent any potential complications.
While salmonella can occur in a wide variety of foods, there are some more susceptible to this bacteria. These include:
But don’t panic! There are easy ways to help protect yourself and your foods from salmonella. Here are four easy steps you can take:
CLEAN: Wash hands and surfaces often.
SEPARATE: Don’t cross-contaminate. Separate the list of foods above in your grocery cart and refrigerator. Also, try to use separate cutting boards when preparing foods and be sure to thoroughly wash after use.
COOK: Cook to safe temperatures. By using a meat thermometer, you can easily determine when your food has cooked to safe temperatures that the salmonella bacteria cannot survive in.
CHILL: Refrigerate promptly. Once you are done with food, it is important to refrigerate within 2 hours after serving. (If temperatures are above 90 degrees, refrigerate within one hour.)
For more information on salmonella, visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.
Related Posts:
Subscribe to Groupie Blog to receive free updates on the latest health and wellness posts in your feed reader or e-mail!
0