Salmonella is a type of bacteria which is usually spread by animal products, especially pork and chicken. Other products which could become contaminated with salmonella are dairy products, fish, shrimp, frog legs, peanut butter, cake mixes, coconut, cocoa, dried gelatin and chocolate.
It is important to cook certain foods thoroughly, because you could be at risk for getting salmonella food poisoning from raw meats and raw eggs. I recently saw on the news that it risky to eat eggs that were raw or not completely cooked. The risk of getting salmonella food poisoning from eggs is much smaller than with chicken and other animal foods. However, since I saw it on the news, I cook my eggs thoroughly now, and I don’t eat cake batter and cookie dough made from raw eggs.
Any food product can become contaminated if it comes into contact with food that is already contaminated with salmonella. If you are preparing chicken, it is important to clean the surface where the chicken was prepared before putting any other food item on it.
Symptoms of salmonella food poisoning
Symptoms of salmonella food poisoning may differ from person to person. Salmonella could pose a serious threat for the very young and the elderly, because their immune system may be as hearty as everyone else’s.
Common symptoms of salmonella poisoning include:
Abdominal cramps
Fever
Nausea and vomiting
Diarrhea
Headache
If you have eaten meat, fish or dairy and you experience the above mentioned symptoms; consult with your doctor as soon as possible. If your symptoms are severe, don’t hesitate to get seen by an emergency room doctor.
How to avoid Salmonella food Poisoning
There is no treatment available for salmonella food poisoning, other than treating the symptoms. The best treatment is to avoid possible ways to get salmonella.
Properly wash hands as well as cooking surfaces – Wash your hands properly after handling all types of food like dairy products and raw meat. In addition, properly wash your hands when you go to restroom every time. Clean your cooking surfaces properly and use separate cutting boards for raw meat and other foods. To stop salmonella poisoning and other diseases, wash your hands all the time after using bathroom or changing child’s diaper or dealing with the pets.
Properly clean the food – While cooking, carefully wash all the vegetables and wash the dirt properly. Follow all directions of cleaning the food products. Carefully wash all the things which touch raw meat. Don’t use contaminated plates, cutting boards or utensils when preparing meat as salmonella may come in contact with utensils whereas meat was raw so now the person eating with the same salmonella can be infected through the utensils. So make sure to carefully wash everything which comes in touch with raw meat. Salmonella may be found on vegetables and fruits so properly wash all of them from outside before using them. Also the bacteria can be transmitted through cutting knife so always wash the knife before and after using.
Properly cook your food – Salmonella poisoning frequently occurs due to undercooked food. So make sure that you have followed all the cooking directions, especially for cooking eggs, pork and poultry. Cook all beef, poultry and eggs carefully before eating as salmonella poisoning can be occurred from undercooked meat.
Conclusion:
You can’t always tell if food is contaminated, but your common sense will tell you if something doesn’t look, smell, or feel right. Throw out food that isn’t good. Don’t eat it. If food appears spoiled, don’t give it to your animals either. If spoiled food isn’t good for us to eat, it’s not fit for our pets to eat either.
It’s important to keep your cooking utensils clean; use hot water to wash them in. Also keep your food prep areas clean. One thing that many people forget about is their refrigerator. It’s important to keep your refrigerator clean also, because your meats are stored. Sometimes the liquid from the meat leaks into your fridge, which could create a huge breeding ground for salmonella and other bacteria.
Sources:
http://food-facts.suite101.com/article.cfm/protect_yourself_from_salmonella
http://www.essortment.com/all/salmonellapoi_rblw.htm
