Suffering From Food Poisoning is No One's Idea Of a Fun Time

Many people know the unfortunate feeling of food poisoning about to strike. They may be sitting quietly and comfortable when suddenly something feels amiss in the stomach. The feeling can quickly grow and get worse until someone is running to the bathroom to try and alleviate the symptoms. During their time there, the thought turns to, “how did this happen?” Food poisoning is classified as a foodborne illness. Essentially, it’s simply caused by eating or drinking something which disagrees with them. The food and drink may have germs or bacteria on them which causes the problems with food poisoning. It can come on quickly, or take a few days before the food poisoning starts depending on the specific cause of the food poisoning. No one enjoys food poisoning. The best thing you can do to deal with it is avoid it in the first place. 

Symptoms of Food Poisoning

There’s several symptoms that are pretty common to people who suffer from food poisoning. Since there are different causes, it’s possible for people to suffer from different symptoms depending on their own particular cause. Some of the common symptoms that people can suffer from include: 

• Nausea - The feeling of needing to vomit is very common with food poisoning. 
• Vomiting - Unsurprisingly, the end result of nausea is something that comes to people with food poisoning. 
• Stomach Cramps - These can be very painful cramps which may or may not be a sign of the following symptom. 
• Diarrhea - This is an incredibly common symptom. Many people will suffer from consistent bouts of diarrhea during a battle with food poisoning. In some cases, there may be bloody stools within the diarrhea. 
• Fever - This incredibly common symptom can also appear for anything with food poisoning. 
• Headache - This is another common symptom of many problems and will appear in many people who have food poisoning. 

Causes of Food Poisoning

There are a wide number of different things that can cause someone to suffer from food poisoning. As mentioned earlier there are germs and bacteria. There’s also toxins, parasites and molds that can cause a person to suffer from food poisoning.

Food can become contaminated in a number of different ways. Often it’s during the actual cooking procedure. People who don’t wash their hands correctly will often transmit some of those germs (especially from feces) to foods they are preparing. When people don’t properly clean their knives and cutting boards, it’s very easy to get “cross contamination” on foods. For example, someone may handle raw chicken properly, but if they use the same cutting board afterward for vegetables for a salad, it’s likely going to result in a bad time. The other thing done at home is storing food in an incorrect manner. Food can spoil or gather bacteria. 

Dealing with Food Poisoning

There are complications that can happen when someone gets food poisoning. Dehydration is the most common. Sometimes people could deal with blood clots, sepsis, arthritis, or IBS among other issues. 

To prevent food poisoning, people should ensure they prepare their food properly. Wash hands properly and also ensure that fruits and vegetables are washed. The same should be applied to any kitchen utensils that are going to be used during the preparation process. Also remember to properly cook meat or fish. Using a meat thermometer can ensure that the meat reaches the proper temperature and won’t be crawling in bacteria. Any leftovers should be properly stored out. 

Once someone already has food poisoning, it turns to treatment. Usually the most important thing is to ensure the body takes in enough fluids and electrolytes to avoid dehydration. If things get bad, doctors may recommend antibiotics or other medications depending on what the cause of the food poisoning is. In most cases, food poisoning will calm down after about 48 hours. However, if it seems like it’s continuing further, speaking with medical professionals is an important step to ensure no complications may occur.