By Jim Kean

Many of us have, at one point or another in our lives, fallen victim to food poisoning.  It leaves you exhausted, cringing and questioning.  Why did this happen to me?  Could it have been prevented?  What do I do now?

While the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) is working round the clock to find new ways of identifying and stopping foodborne illnesses, 1 out of 6 American are still being infected every year.  What makes food poisoning so difficult to determine and contain is that there are currently over 250 foodborne related diseases in addition to poisoning from toxins.  And while common symptoms are vomiting, diarrhea and cramps, there is no one symptom that can pinpoint a specific disease, making containment that much harder as each one has its own method of contamination, i.e. mouth to mouth or touch.

The most common foodborne illnesses that can lead to severe outcomes and their symptoms can be found here: http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/facts.html#mostcommon

So how do you prevent these harmful microbes and poisons from getting into you in the first place?  At home, thoroughly cook everything, from animal and seafood products to fruits and vegetables.  While washing may help rid fruits and vegetables of some contaminants, it does not ensure full sterilization.  This goes for unpasteurized fruit juice as well.

Food poisoning can also develop from improper handling of food and utensils.  Food can become infected by coming in contact with contaminated raw food or by being left out overnight instead of being immediately refrigerated.  Not washing cutting boards or knives between use of each food type can also transfer microbes.

When eating out, keep note of the grading each restaurant receives.  Be careful what foods you choose and don’t be afraid to ask for more details, like if their eggs are pasteurized, or asking your waiter to have your food cooked at a certain temperature.

But even with all these preventive measures, what happens if you still get food poisoning?  Take lots of fluids and build back up your electrolytes, or salt levels.  Pepto-Bismal can lessen the effects of diarrhea.  For severe diarrhea though, you may need to take oral rehydration solutions such as Ceralyte, Pedialyte or Oralyte.  Sports drinks are inefficient.  Antidiarrheal medicine can also help, unless diarrhea is accompanied by bloody stools and a high fever, in which case symptoms would become worse.

If you do have bloody stools, a fever above 101.5 F, continual vomiting, dehydration or diarrhea for over 3 days, you should visit your local doctor who may or may not give you antibiotics.  If he does prescribe them, remember to take all of them whether or not it seems your symptoms have abated, to prevent the creation of resistant bacteria strains.

Those most susceptible to food poisoning are pregnant women, bottle-fed infants, those with liver disease, in reference to raw oysters, and the elderly.

For more information on food poisoning, you can visit http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/facts.html.