Distinguishes food poisoning and foodborne illness & bull; hello healthy

Feeling stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, or dizziness after eating? Maybe you suspect food poisoning. However, this is not necessarily due to food poisoning. It could be that the cause turns out to be a foodborne disease. Sometimes, we think of food poisoning and foodborne illness as the same thing, but they are different. What's the difference?

How is food poisoning different from foodborne illness?

Yes, the term food poisoning has a different meaning from foodborne illness, although everyone is used to generalizing all this to food poisoning. FDA or Food and Drug Administration The United States also declared this to be something different.

According to the FDA, food poisoning is a form of foodborne illness caused by ingestion of toxins in food. While, foodborne illness is infection or poisoning resulting from food contaminated with live microorganisms or their toxins. Foodborne illnesses include allergic reactions and other conditions in which food acts as a carrier for allergens (agents that cause allergies).

ALSO READ: What to Do When Food Poisoning?

Different causes

The difference between food poisoning and foodborne illness can lie in what causes it. What caused these foods to make you sick? Infection or poison? Is it because of the microorganisms present in the food, or because of the toxins contained in the food (can it be from microorganisms or from the environment)? This is very difficult to distinguish. So, you wouldn't be wrong to mention all of these things to be food poisoning.

The term food poisoning refers to illness caused by toxins in the food you eat. These toxins can be produced from bacteria present in food; can be from chemicals, heavy metals, or other substances that stick to food; or it could be because the meat of fish, shellfish or other animals contains toxins from their environment.

Meanwhile, foodborne diseases are usually caused by infection with pathogens (such as bacteria, parasites, or viruses). Typically, the pathogens that cause foodborne illness are:

• Escherichia coli, usually found in dirty water
• Salmonella, usually in eggs, chicken, meat, raw milk, cheese, and vegetables and fruits that are contaminated
• Norovirus, present in raw food, contaminated water, contaminated shellfish
• Listeria, can be in raw milk (unpasteurized milk), cheese from raw milk

Differences in time to show symptoms

Because it is caused by toxins, symptoms of food poisoning can occur as soon as you eat the contaminated food. Usually you will show symptoms such as sudden vomiting and diarrhea.

Meanwhile, symptoms of foodborne illness can usually appear longer and can also last longer than symptoms of food poisoning. These symptoms can even appear up to 10 days after you eat contaminated food. In addition, foodborne illnesses are also easier to transmit to those around you.

Symptoms that appear may vary, but some of the symptoms that can occur when you are poisoned or have a foodborne illness are:

• Nausea
• Gag
• Diarrhea
• Stomach cramps
• Fever
• Bloody stool
• Headache (dizziness)
• Tired or weak

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How can you prevent food poisoning and foodborne illnesses?

Food can cause poisoning or carry foodborne illness if:

• Uncooked or raw food
• Food is not well processed
• Food is not well stored
• Food is contaminated with pathogens from the environment, can be from water, pesticides, or equipment used

So, you need to deal with these four things to prevent food poisoning or foodborne illness. Indeed, sometimes the food we eat actually contains pathogens that are harmful naturally, but these pathogens will die when you cook these foods properly.

Some things you should do to prevent food-related diseases are:

• Wash your hands and any cooking utensils you will use before cooking. Ensure that your hands and any utensils that come in contact with food are kept clean. Also wash the food ingredients that you will use before cooking them.
• Separate food ingredients according to type, also separate tools that come in contact with these food ingredients. For example, suppose you are using a cutting board for meat as opposed to a cutting board for vegetables. Also, keep raw foods separate from cooked foods. This aims to avoid food contamination.
• Cook the ingredients until they are completely cooked. Between one food ingredient and another usually has different time to cook. Make sure the food is completely cooked before you eat it.
• If there is food leftovers, you should store it in the refrigerator. Don't forget to warm it up before you eat it again.

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