In the food we love, salmonella is well preserved. These bacteria are insidious in that they do not change the color or taste of the food in which they multiply.
Attentiveness to purchased products (in stores and markets) can help prevent Salmonella infection and protect yourself and your family from a serious infectious disease.
According to statistics, most often people become infected with chicken salmonella. This microorganism is a permanent inhabitant of chicken coops. Salmonella is a saprophyte for birds of the order, and for humans it is a pathogenic, pathogenic microorganism. The most dangerous chicken meat with blood near the bones. Most often, it gets into food with a barbecue in case of insufficient frying.
Less commonly, salmonellosis is infected from lamb, pork, beef and other meat that is not sufficiently thermally processed.
Chicken is recognized as the main culprit of salmonellosis for two reasons:
- This is the most popular meat.
- Some strains of Salmonella, which live only in chicken, are difficult to treat and can be fatal.
Milk products
The second place in the frequency of salmonella infection is firmly held by dairy products, primarily milk itself. Fans of organic products naively believe that fresh homemade milk is a safe, absolutely healthy product. Yes, without heat treatment, milk contains all the vitamins, but it may also contain active salmonella. Therefore, doctors recommend that you refrain from eating raw milk. Also, there is a high probability of contracting salmonellosis from fermented milk products obtained from raw milk:
The only protection against salmonellosis is pasteurization or boiling milk.
Lovers of raw eggs and "mogul-mogul" should know that these products pose a serious threat! Salmonella easily penetrates through the shell into the eggs, and for this, 5 hours is enough. If there is a microcrack in the shell, then infection occurs very quickly. So the eggs become deadly. Only serious heat treatment can kill salmonella. Those. soft-boiled eggs or semi-fluid fried eggs cannot be considered safe products. Before culinary use, eggs with cracked shells should be discarded, the rest should be thoroughly washed from the rest of the litter, possibly with soap.
Ready-made salads
Wanting to save time, housewives are increasingly buying convenience foods and chopped salad mixes ready to eat in stores. But in such cases, they risk health. Scientists have experimentally proven that chopped salad, if greens were seeded with salmonella, becomes a "biological bomb." The fact is that in the juice secreted by greenery, bacteria multiply thousands of times faster than in other products. Moreover, they form a stable biological film, which covers almost the entire package of sliced salad. So the infected chopped salad becomes unfit for food. Safety rule for greens: you need to buy it only in bundles. And cut - just before serving. Fans of already chopped salads can only rely on the conscientiousness of the manufacturer, who must carefully check their products.
Lovers of rolls and sushi should understand that, unlike the Japanese, they do not eat fresh fish, but travel thousands of kilometers. The use of such fish in its raw form is like a game of Russian roulette. Sanitary standards are inexorable, and prohibit eating raw and slightly salted fish 12 hours after catch. The fact is that Salmonella is not afraid of either salt or smoking. Therefore, any fish is not the first freshness without heat treatment can become a "biological weapon." If you do not want to feel all the charms of salmonellosis on yourself, refrain from buying fish smoked meats and salts in natural markets and other dubious places. Also keep tabs on the use of bloated and expired canned fish.
In the usual home environment, people monitor the quality of water for drinking and cooking. But on vacation, they often forget about it. But in foreign lands, special vigilance is needed! You should never drink raw water from wells, springs or other open sources, especially in hot countries. This rule must be observed, even if you are tormented by unbearable thirst. The smart decision on the trip is to take care of the supply of bottled water.
No need to be seduced by various exotic drinks with ice. To freeze ice, ordinary tap water is often used. And who knows what in that water supply has grown on the walls inside? Salmonella also perfectly retains vitality in the freezer for up to six months. Boiling kills her instantly. So only bottled or boiled water can be considered safe.
Raw vegetables and fruits
Sources of vitamins with trace elements can easily become a cause of Salmonella infection. Dirty vegetables and fruits should be completely prohibited! Even if they are collected in your own vegetable garden or garden. Under no circumstances should they be tasted in the market or in the store. This should be the rule: for each product that will be used without cooking, there should be its own cutting board and a separate knife. After cutting, the board and knife should be scalded with boiling water, and not just washed.
Culinary products
Sweet culinary products (pastries and cream cakes) are Salmonella's favorite habitat. Mayonnaise is also a danger, which is generously seasoned with sandwiches and weighted salads.
One serving of low-quality ice cream can go to bed with abdominal pain and fever. The violated technology of production and storage of such products can turn any delicacy into real poison.
If the health of your loved ones and your own is dear to you, never buy ready-made food, especially in unknown stalls and stalls. Cook for yourself and your family.
Natalya Smolikova
Salt retains fluid in our body - this has long been proven. A hundred years ago, French doctors noticed the following: when they prescribed a salt-free diet to patients, the pressure decreased and their health improved. The same thing happens when people get to a hospital where there is diet food. But when a person returns from the hospital home and begins to eat more salt, with the same treatment his condition worsens again.
A gram of sodium (which is contained in salt) retains 200 ml of water, which leads to latent edema inside the body, lymph stagnation occurs. But our wise body understands everything, and when there is an excess of sodium, it removes it with urine. However, along with this, a lot of calcium also leaves, and its lack leads to osteoporosis. This disease has become the scourge of the last 30 years - people eat a lot of canned food and fast food. From an excess of salt in the body, more precisely in the stomach, a lot of hydrochloric acid is formed, which can lead to gastritis (chronic inflammation of the mucous membrane). Our body is a self-regulating system that, up to a certain point, can compensatoryly support all functions, for example, remove excess salt. But when the body ceases to cope, diseases arise. Due to the “popularity” of smoked meats, sausages and other salty foods, many diseases that cause excess salt “get younger”: arthritis, hypertension, gastritis, diabetes and others.
It is believed that the norm of salt for an adult is 3-5 grams per day. Now people on average consume 10-20 grams. With age, you need to reduce the amount of salt. There is a low sodium salt - it is more beneficial. But we must understand that it is also impossible without salt, because our body needs it, as it participates in biochemical processes. Salt makes its quantity a medicine or poison - a measure is needed.
Raw egg and salmonella
Eggs can be infected by bacteria known as salmonella. When a product undergoes a heat treatment, salmonella and other pathogens die, resulting in the neutralization of potential health risks.
Salmonellosis is an infectious disease that has several forms of course. The lightest of them lasts from four to seven days and can be manifested by such symptoms: vomiting, fever, diarrhea, and stomach cramps. Some people with this form of the disease do without antibiotic treatment, but hospitalizations are still common.
According to a 2002 article published in Risk Analysis, of the 69 billion eggs produced each year in the United States, about 2.3 million are infected with salmonella. It turns out that one out of every 30,000 eggs is infected.
Salmonella from eggs annually causes the disease of 661,333 people. Of these, 94 percent are cured without medical intervention, 5 percent of patients need the help of doctors, 0.5 percent are hospitalized, and 0.05 percent of cases of the disease lead to death. Eating raw egg whites dramatically increases the risk of salmonella infection.
Also, do not forget about cross-contamination of dishes that come in contact with raw eggs.
Pasteurized eggs
If it is difficult for you to imagine your life without raw eggs, you can eat them without the risk of salmonella infection. This is ensured by pasteurization, which is a process in which products are heated to a temperature that kills any potentially dangerous bacteria. You can purchase pasteurized eggs that are heated enough to kill any pathogens. In addition, it is possible to purchase liquid egg whites, which are always processed before sale.
Most whole eggs sold in grocery stores are not pasteurized, so you should carefully study the product label before buying.
Eggs and Biotin
Another risk associated with the use of egg whites has nothing to do with pathogens.
According to MedlinePlus, raw egg whites contain a substance that binds strongly to biotin and inhibits its absorption by the body. Biotin deficiency, also known as vitamin B7may cause a number of unpleasant symptoms, including thinning of the hair, skin rash, depression, and exhaustion.
Scientists note that consuming two or more egg whites per day for several months or longer can lead to serious biotin deficiency. If you decide to drink raw egg whites, you should still limit their number.
