Food poisoning often occurs after eating a meal in a large, social setting such as a picnic, cookout, or cafeteria. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), foods in these settings are often prepared early and left unrefrigerated for long periods, allowing bacteria to form on the food. Food poisoning symptoms typically begin within two to six hours after eating the contaminated food. Signs of food poisoning are most often vomiting, fever, chills, headache, bloody diarrhea, weakness, and severe abdominal cramps. Treatment from a doctor is rarely necessary, unless dehydration occurs, says the NLM. To prevent dehydration, drink plenty of fluids, but avoid milk or drinks with caffeine. You should also avoid solid foods while severely nauseated. And antibiotics aren't usually needed to manage food poisoning. I'm sure most of us have experienced food poisoning at some sort of summer get-together. We likely pinpoint the sickness to something we ate, often that strange tasting potato salad that looked good on the outside. The association of our discomfort with eating certain foods may then last a lifetime. Just as important, however, we may experience some sort of generalized bad feeling toward an activity, such as future church socials or family reunions. I wonder if anyone can trace the loss of their religious faith to a rancid salad... Just thinking.
Chocolate-stuffed bananas on the grill
Tyler Florence welcomes new daughter
Beware kids' menus!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-25-2006 @ 8:17PM
Dr. Electro said...
The only thing I remember about the church socials in my youth is way too much food. I always ate too much. All too often, hte polite dinner turned into competitive eating between my big brother and me. Others would join in but almost never more than once. It made a big difference that I knew who could cook and who could not. Add to that my ability to discern who cooked what and the stage was set for a real binge. I tried to be polite about it but everyone notices the skinny, little kid who eats like a hungry horse in a hay barn. I never burped out loud though.
Dr. "I can't eat like that any more" Electro
Reply
6-25-2006 @ 10:21PM
cynthia said...
I used to be a food safety instructor, and actually, almost everyone has had at least a few cases of "food poisoning" before. Ever heard of a family or office where a "24 hour flu bug" goes around in less than a week? Very likely it was a food borne illness. Viruses usually take much longer to spread. Chances are that the group of people simply got a food borne illness and it took them a few days' difference to pick it up. Unfortunately, teaching food safety has really put a damper on my ability to eat at family gatherings - mine or others'!
Reply