2024-01-21 19:38:09
January 22, 2024
Dr. Choi Wai-lok
Gastroenterology
“Doctor, I’ve been feeling very uncomfortable in my stomach and intestines for the past two weeks. I’ve been feeling nauseous and stuffy, especially following getting up in the morning. I’ve always had a sensitive stomach. Is it because I ate raw or cold food?”
Everyone has experienced feeling stagnant following eating, feeling stuffy and vomiting, and most of them will get better within a day or two. The most common cause is gastroenteritis caused by unclean food. The general public often misunderstands that only raw and cold food can cause gastroenteritis. This is not the case. Usually what we call raw and cold food are uncooked and heated. High-temperature cooking can kill viruses, bacteria and other pathogens. Eating cooked food can reduce the chance of gastroenteritis. Bacteria multiply between 5 degrees Celsius and 57 degrees Celsius, but different bacteria or viruses require different temperatures and times to kill. For example, when cooking poultry, experts recommend that the core temperature of the food reach 74 degrees Celsius to ensure that all bacteria are killed. It must be noted that “cooked” does not mean that the food has reached a safe temperature. Usually chefs rely on the color and texture of food to determine whether it is “cooked”. The so-called “cooked” means that the appearance and taste are suitable for eating. Therefore, “cooked” food may not necessarily be safe. Only using a food thermometer can ensure that the bacteria have been killed.
In addition, reheating food is also risky. First, during the reheating process, the food is often not heated for too long and the temperature is too high, otherwise the food will not taste good; second, most people will let the food naturally cool down to room temperature before refrigerating it, sometimes even without refrigeration. Bacteria multiply at room temperature and can produce a large amount of toxins that cannot be destroyed by high temperature decomposition. Even if the food is completely heated once more, you will still get sick following eating it. An example is Fried Rice Syndrome: Fried rice is generally made from overnight rice. The spores of Bacillus cereus are resistant to heating and cannot be killed. During the cooling process of hot rice, the bacteria multiply and produce toxins, which cannot be destroyed even if it is reheated. Then you will have abdominal pain and vomiting. “Ms. Chen, your symptoms are mainly nausea and vomiting. Please forgive me for asking, are you likely to get pregnant?”
“No way…no…maybe…I’ll go check it out first.”
The author is a specialist in gastroenterology and hepatology
[信健康] Food should be cooked thoroughly, pay attention to gastroenterology information
