What’s yummy might not be good for your tummy – several foods can pose a threat to health. Read here about safe food practices, toxic fungi and why you should definitely wash your salad.
Not a week goes by without stories of new Salmonella outbreaks or outbreaks of other foodborne diseases around the world. One of the latest has been caused by Listeria in salmon in Sweden, where 15 people fell sick after eating vacuum-packed salmon. Foodborne disease can be dangerous – especially for individuals with already compromised immune systems, such as chronically ill or older people. It is known that raw meat or eggs are potential reservoirs of bacteria, especially when not prepared correctly. Are there any other risky foods you should recommend your patients to stay away from?
Salmonella, Norovirus, Listeria, and Escherichia coli, just to name a few, can be ingested with food and cause serious diseases. Safe food practices are not only important in restaurants and gastronomy, but the right preparation of food at home is also crucial to avoid infections.
Vegetables are an important part of our diet – the more the better. However, some veggies can become dangerous for consumers when prepared incorrectly. In 2021 the German Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) took samples of 400 different packages of pre-cut salads and found that 47 % of those contained Bacillus cereus, a bacterium that can cause diarrhea and vomiting. They also found E. Coli and Listeria in their samples. Thus, the BVL recommends vulnerable groups to stay away from pre-cut salad packages.
But it is not only pre-packaged salads. Leafy greens in general and especially when organically grown, can contain considerable amounts of pathogens. Norovirus, Salmonella, Listeria, and E. Coli can be found on the surface of these veggies. According to a study, leafy greens are the second most common source of infections with E. Coli in Canada and the United States, after ground beef.
Pathogens like E. Coli on vegetables can stem from contaminated water that is used for irrigation of the fields where leafy greens are grown. Especially organically grown veg are fertilized with organic substances, such as cow slurry. When not properly rinsed off before consumption, pathogens and germs from animals can remain on the surface and will be ingested. Thus, it comes as no surprise that the CDC warns about the direct consumption of leafy greens right from the shelves. You should recommend your patients to properly wash any vegetables and fruits they purchase. Safer options in terms of bacteria and other germs are unprocessed foods, as long as properly prepared before consumption, rather than pre-packaged options.
Due to their special properties and characteristics, mushrooms can be a threat to health. They accumulate toxins in their fruit body and cause serious diseases in humans. This characteristic is especially important to consider in Eastern Europe or when purchasing vegetables from that area. Due to the catastrophe of Chernobyl in Ukraine, big areas are still contaminated with radioactivity – and even in parts of Germany the repercussions are still measurable. Foraged mushrooms should only be consumed in low quantities and not regularly to avoid harmful amounts of radiation. A weekly intake of wild mushrooms of 200 g would, over a year, accumulate the same amount of radioactivity, as taking 20 flights of five hours.
Not only do fungi accumulate radioactivity, but heavy metals too. Especially mercury and cadmium are found in wild mushrooms and can lead to heavy metal poisoning when consumed regularly and in larger quantities. The safer options are store-bought and cultured mushrooms, as they undergo regular testing.
A recent study suggests that game meat, especially boars, is exceeding the limits of radioactive contamination in Germany. Boars diets partially consists of mushrooms, that are contaminated with radioactive isotopes. As boars consume a considerable number of mushrooms, they accumulate heavy metals and radioactivity from those. However, the research suggests the radioactivity in boars does not solely stem from mushrooms. They revealed that the isotopes found in boars stem from radioactive fallout from the catastrophe in Chernobyl as well as tests of nuclear weapons worldwide. This radioactivity is responsible for up to 68 % of the radioactivity measured in boars – consuming these meats regularly can pose a potential health threat.
The world and especially people in Japan are worried for their well-being after wastewater from Fukushima has been released into the ocean. Even though the Japanese government ensures that the water is sufficiently diluted and does not pose a threat to fish and the health of people who consume these fish, people are skeptical. To be on the safe side, it is important to stay up to date about the radioactive contamination of fish. Especially predatory fish accumulate toxins of any kind in their fat. Amongst others, heavy metals can be found in higher concentrations in certain types of fish, especially predatory fish like tuna. When fish and seafood are consumed regularly and in larger quantities it might be recommendable to screen for heavy metals in your patient’s body to take action before a heavy metal poisoning occurs.
Even though heavy-metal concentrations of tested fish were only moderate and do not pose an immediate threat to consumers, scientists recommend not to consume wildly caught fish regularly or in larger quantities. Especially pregnant women should consume cautiously and irregularly. Moreover, you could recommend your patients to opt for fish that is less contaminated such as herring or plaice.
Image source: Thomas Gamstaetter, Unsplash
