It is not necessary to plan a
balanced diet and produced well
cooked meals, if when eat we suffer
from stomach pains or
other ill effects. We must always
take the greatest responsibility
to see that the food we eat is
in good condition and is also clean.
Today we eat food that has gone
bad or been infected in some
way we may suffer from food poisoning.The
air we breathe,
the things we touch and the food
we eat all contain dangerous
organisms called bacteria . We
know that although many
types of bacteria are harmless,
there are some that are
definitely harmful . It is these
disiese-producing bacteria that
cause food poisoning.
We cannot prevent some harmful bacteria
entering our bodies,
but we must ensure that their
numbers are kept small. If this
is so , they will have a little
or no effect on us. It is only when our
systems are invaded by large numbers
of pathogenic bacteria that
we suffer from food poisoning.
Bacteria multiply so rapidly in
favourable conditions ( for example
warmth and moisture ) that
thousands of million of bacteria
may arise from a single bacterium
in only a few days. It is obvious
therefore that food must be stored
and prepared in conditions
that are unfavourable to bacteria growth.
* Most food poisoning in Britain
is caused by the Salmonella group of
bacteria. These poisoning
bacteria cause diarrhea, stomach pains,
sickness and, in severe
cases, death.
Salmonella bacteria are mainly spread
by infected people who handle
food - especially if they
touch food with unwashed hands after using
the toilet.
Food poisoning may also be caused
by bacteria which produce their
poison in the food. The Staphylococcus
group of bacteria act in this way.
The effect of such poisoning are
rather like bad seasickness and include
sickness and extreme weakness.
These bacteria are mainly spread from the
nose and mouth (by coughs and sneezes
) and from cuts and scratches on
the hands of infected people who
handle food.