Food Poisoning May Not Be Because of the Last Thing You Ate

There are two different kinds of food-borne intestinal distress, the first of which sets in a few hours after a meal and may leave you nauseous (or even running for the bathroom). This one, believe it or not, is actually the milder case, and your body typically finds relief after evacuating the offending meal.

The other sort of food poisoning – what I like to refer to as “real” food poisoning – doesn’t arrive until between 12-24 hours (at the earliest) after the bad food passed your lips, and it could leave you praying for death on your bathroom floor for up to 24 hours after that.

Yeah. Did it once, do not ever wish to repeat.

The CDC lists four common culprits of food-borne illness: norovirus, Salmonella enterica, Clostridium perfringens, and Campylobacter jejuni. The time from ingestion to symptoms varies from (at least) 6 hours with Salmonella to up to 2 days with Campylobacter.

So, even if your last meal is the one coming up (and the one your mind will associate with the terribleness for years to come), it’s probably not the culprit in the worst cases of food-borne nastiness.

Sadly, there’s nothing much to do besides cry, call your mom, and camp out in the bathroom until its over. You should try to keep down liquids (ha!) and call a doctor if you haven’t been able to for over 24 hours.

There’s not a whole lot you can do to prevent nasty microbes from arriving with your dinner in a restaurant (or a hotdog at a ballpark, in my case), but at home, make sure to wash your hands and prep surfaces regularly, avoid contamination between raw and cooked foods, cook to recommended internal temperatures, and yeah, did I mention washing your hands?

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#MaxFact: After four outbreaks in less than two years where likely contaminated romaine lettuce contained deadly E. coli O157: H7, the Food and Drug Administration is turning to microbial testing for clues for the next year to try to figure out what’s happening. ⠀ .⠀ The FDA reports it is now “conducting a small, focused assignment to collect samples of the raw agricultural commodity (RAC) romaine lettuce to test for salmonella app and pathogenic Escherichia coli…” ⠀ .⠀ The year-long testing program will run through November 2020. Testing for Shiga Toxin-producing E. coli or STECS includes the microbial hazards associated with romaine lettuce consumption. The FDA will collect raw lettuce that is trimmed or washed in its natural form before processing. ⠀ .⠀ The four E. coli outbreaks infected a total of 320 people and were notable for their high hospitalization rates. Five outbreak patients died. [source: freshplaza.com]

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Take extra care with foods like shellfish, red meat, poultry, eggs, and fresh fruits and vegetables, as these are at the highest risk for carrying pathogens.

Wash your lettuce and berries, people. Trust me (and the CDC) on this one.

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These People Might Just Get Food Poisoning in the near Future

Having had actual food poisoning once in my life (through no fault of my own), I would say that it’s definitely something you want to avoid at all costs.

So maybe don’t try any of these things at home.

15. I love mayo but just stop.

14. Pregnant ladies rejoice?

13. A crime against pizza.

12. That poor sushi.

11. This person is undoubtedly from the midwest.

10. That’s not how any of this works.

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9. What a waste!

8. I get needing a crunch, but…

7. Toddlers are unreliable.

6. Imagining this made me gag.

5. Why would you do that to an Oreo?

4. It’s plated like some sort of gourmet!

3. Ketchup is not for everything. #sayitwithme

2. Okay…but not together.

1. I’d rather just eat the guacamole with a spoon.

Some of those definitely made me throw up in my mouth. Ew!

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