I used to be a happy person. But then I took a FOODSAFE course. This certification course is recommended in my province for anybody who handles, prepares or serves food. It’s very educational, but once you’ve watched those ominous “What Went Wrong?” course videos (about hapless party guests dropping like flies from eating tainted crême caramel), you can become just a wee bit paranoid about foodborne illnesses, often for the rest of your natural life.
That’s why the following basic list of foods to avoid is extremely important.
Food poisoning occurs when you eat food that contains harmful bacteria, parasites, or viruses. It can be severe and sometimes fatal. In fact, The American Society of Clinical Oncology website warns:
“Foodborne illnesses can be particularly severe if a person has a weakened immune system from cancer treatment or chronic illness like heart disease, or is very old, very young, or pregnant.”
Food can become contaminated when someone infected with a virus (often a norovirus) or other ‘bug’ handles the food. Raw foods are a common cause of foodborne illness. Proper cooking can destroy bacteria, but they can grow even on cooked food if left out too long. Some bacteria, such as listeria, can grow even on foods stored in the refrigerator over time.
That’s what happened last summer when listeriosis killed 22 people of the 57 affected by eating tainted cold cuts produced at a Maple Leaf meat processing plant in Toronto. Continue reading “Heart patients can avoid food poisoning by avoiding these foods entirely”
Dr. Rubin’s list of common but hazardous food ingredients is frightening – but required reading. “Why do I use a strong word like hazardous?” she asks. “Because I remember the label on my mom’s cigarettes when I was a small child: 
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