Elderly People More Vulnerable To Food Poisoning—Nutritionist

Food poisoning is a general term for an illness gained through something in the food, usually a bacterium or a toxin.

According to a nutritionist, Dr. Uloko Adah,  food poisoning can affect anyone, but it is more common in elderly people, the very young and people whose immunity have been compromised due to diseases like HIV, diabetes, cancer and others.

Dr Adah said pregnant women are also vulnerable but must take only properly prepared food and properly washed fruits and vegetables, adding that food poisoning can affect the development of the child and sometimes lead to miscarriage.

Although food poisoning symptoms are usually very unpleasant, he said however, they help the body expel the toxins.

The nutritionist also advised that “If you choose to stay at home and recuperate from the  food poisoning, control diarrhea, stay hydrated with water or non-carbornated  drink, eat low-fat foods to control vomiting, have a good rest, avoid food that will worsen your food poisoning.”

Here are some of the common causes of food poisoning;

E. coli Enteritis

E. coli Enteritis is caused by improper washing of hands before preparing meals or eating food. Also, caused by food that should be put into the refrigerator but left out for too long and gets contaminated.

Listeria

 Listeria can be found in several peculiar foods. Things like soft cheese hotdogs and Deli meat are carriers of Listeria.

Salmonella

Salmonella is caused by familiar food items like eggs, raw poultry, and dairy products when not properly processed or stored.

Botulism

 Botulism is caused by home-canned foods; food wrapped in aluminum cans, and foil papers/plates.

Norovirus

 Norovirus is frequently caused by the healthiest foods like leafy greens, fresh fruits, and shellfish

  

Almost all food poisoning incidents can be prevented by a few common-sense precautions:

Avoid processed foods and prepared foods.

Anything in a package, can or box is a suspect for being processed in a way that can upset the delicate balance of your digestive tract, immune system, and overall health.. These products may come across as cheaper or more convenient but the real cost for eating them can come later in nutrient deficiencies, frequent illness, long-term chronic diseases.

Consume fermented foods daily.

Eat foods that support your wellness. Fermented foods contain probiotics that support our digestive health and overall well-being.

Avoid excessive alcohol intake

Alcohol is high in sugar content and can offset the beneficial bacteria in your digestive tract and immune system causing an overgrowth of pathogens, yeast, and bacteria which can contribute to weakened immunity and an increase in infections.

Avoid the use of antibiotic drugs and antibacterial cleaners

Antibacterial substances remove all bacteria including the beneficial ones. Beneficial bacteria help curtail and eliminate lethal bacteria that can make us sick. So removing beneficial bacteria contributes to more incidence of opposition bacteria that can make us ill.