Here Are Super Common Foods That Can Be Especially Dangerous To Eat If You Leave Them Out Too Long
That's what we aimed to find out when we — Raj Punjabi and Noah Michelson, the co-hosts of HuffPost's 'Am I Doing It Wrong?' podcast — recently chatted with Kristen Aiken, HuffPost's executive director of Life and Commerce.
During our 45 minutes together, Aiken, a culinary school grad and passionate food safety aficionado, gave us tips on how to spare our stomachs (and other delicate body parts) from the nightmarish repercussions of spoiled food.
The most shocking thing we learned was that some unexpected foods are especially dangerous when left out — and consuming them has even led to death.
'[The name for this] is 'Fried Rice Syndrome' colloquially, but it really applies to [almost all] pastas and rices,' Aiken told us before reading from a case report about a young Belgian man who died after consuming spaghetti with red sauce that had been left on his counter at room temperature for five days. An autopsy revealed that there were high levels of bacillus cereus present in his body.
'It's a pretty common bacteria that's found in most foods, and it doesn't make most of us sick most of the time,' Aiken explained. 'It's bacteria that starts as a spore that's inactive. Once you heat it during the initial cooking, it can become activated and release toxins. And the longer the food is left out at room temperature, the more the bacteria multiplies.'
Bacillus cereus spores are most commonly associated with rice and pasta, but they can also be found in meat and cheese. They are especially risky because they are resistant to heat (they ' can only be eliminated by high-temperature treatment, say 121°C for 3 minutes '), and the toxins they produce cannot be destroyed with heat.
Death from eating starchy foods left out at room temperature is rare (and other health factors may have been at play in the case of the Belgian man who died), but it can happen. It's more likely that eating improperly stored food will cause classic food poisoning symptoms like vomiting or diarrhea that should clear up within a few days.
This is why Aiken recommends putting your leftover rice and pasta — and all other foods — in the refrigerator or freezer as quickly as possible to avoid any potential issues.
'The rule you will hear me say a million times over ... there's this temperature danger zone between 40 degrees Fahrenheit and 140 degrees Fahrenheit where you really shouldn't leave your food in that range for more than two hours because that's when the bacteria start to multiply,' Aiken said.
If something has been out for longer than two hours, you should consider throwing it away.
In this episode, we also chatted with her about whether or not ketchup and other condiments really need to go in the fridge, foods that will stay good indefinitely, and much more. Listen to it here.
After you've had a listen above, or wherever you get your podcasts, subscribe to 'Am I Doing It Wrong?' so you don't miss a single episode, including our investigations of how to improve our gut health, secrets for better teeth from a celebrity dentist, how to score the best deals on airline tickets, how to poop like a pro, apologizing, vanquishing your credit card debt, finding love online, overcoming anxiety, making a big life change and getting a tattoo.
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Newsweek
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Dollar General Fries Recall Issued FDA Risk Warning
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Buzz Feed
3 days ago
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6 Things Kids Notice Without Adults Realizing It
Kids are often more observant than many adults give them credit for. It's not just what we say to them directly that they're absorbing; it's how we talk about ourselves and others, what we say to others about them and how we behave, too. We asked experts what sorts of things children pick up on that adults don't always realize they're noticing. This list isn't designed to be judgmental; rather, it's a reminder that we can all bring a little more awareness to our day-to-day interactions. 1. How you feel about your partner, co-parent or their other caregivers. Fg Trade / Getty Images You may think you're being subtle when you roll your eyes at your partner or shoot your father-in-law a dirty look. But kids can catch those nonverbal cues, said clinical psychologist Jazmine McCoy, who goes by @TheMomPsychologist on Instagram. 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Fg Trade / Getty Images Children are 'astutely aware' of how adults talk about their own bodies and other people's bodies, said registered dietitian Alyssa Miller of the @ Instagram account. And they can read our body language, too. 'They can pick up on subtle — and not-so-subtle — actions, drawing conclusions about bodies,' she told HuffPost. 'They learn what is considered good and bad, desirable and undesirable.' They observe the way you look at yourself in the mirror and can make inferences from that. They notice if you never wear a bathing suit at the pool, if you delete lots of pictures of yourself or avoid getting in front of the camera altogether, Miller said. 'Adults are constantly showing kids how to view their own bodies through their everyday actions,' she said. 'Think about it: No baby or toddler is embarrassed by their belly, their thighs or their height until they hear comments or witness someone else being insecure about it.' 3. What you actually value. 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Over time, such comments and behaviors shape a child's relationship with food, 'potentially leading to unhealthy eating habits or attitudes,' Miller said. 'Research shows that kids tend to eat the same foods their parents do, both as children and as adults,' she said. 'By modeling a balanced and positive approach to food, adults can help children develop healthy eating habits and a healthy relationship with food.' 6. How you talk about your kid to other adults. Fg Trade / Getty Images Let's say your child just had an epic meltdown at Target. When you get home, you fill in your partner about what just happened in the form of sarcastic comments about the ' amazing morning you two just had' or jokes about the incident, thinking it's probably going over your kid's head. 'They may not know what it all means, but they can pick up the fact that you think negatively about what happened, and this can negatively impact their self-esteem and relationship with you,' McCoy said. When you're talking to a friend, relative or co-parent, whether on the phone or in person, about something that happened with your kid, be mindful about the language you use, McCoy advised. 'Speak to the lesson learned or how you solved the problem versus focusing on the mistake or problem,' she said. 'Pretend you're talking to your child and speak to your partner about your child how you would to them directly.' HuffPost.
