Fast Foods? Thanks, I'll pass!

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(Edited)

Gone are those days when eating out or ordering food from fast food outlets was my thing. Nowadays, I am more of a 'let's cook at home' person. I try as much as possible to stay away from eating outside and on a few occasions when options become limited, I pick my battles carefully in relation to the kind of food I eat. No thanks to food poisoning that almost took my life a few years ago.

What started as a normal, enjoyment-filled evening took a horrible turn a few minutes after downing a meal of fried/jollof rice combo with a lap of fried chicken. It all started as harmless stomach trouble which I was hoping would go away with time. I even continued the activities for the evening trying to play the hard guy and not wanting to spoil the evening for everyone by withdrawing into my crib.

The stomach trouble grew to an unbearable level, eventually culminating in me taking an excuse to use the toilet. Of course, it will take me just a few minutes and I will be back in no time to continue the fun - I thought to myself. Unfortunately, I felt a bit weak after taking a dump and the stomach trouble persisted. All the evening fun had to be truncated for place indoor, on the bed to be precise.

The whole stomach trouble thing took a new turn a few hours later, just after midnight, when I visited the loo for the second time and could hardly walk thereafter. As strong as I thought I was back then, I was left with no option than to succumb to being taken to the hospital. What started as stomach trouble has degenerated into a terrible fever with serious shaking and abnormally high body temperature.

Within a few minutes at the emergency section of the hospital, a couple of dextrose saline drips have been passed into my system and a series of samples taken for laboratory analysis. I just lied on the bed like wilted vegetables. Between 1 am and the dawn of the same day, I have lost count of the number of intravenous drips in antibiotic infusions that have found their way into my system but the good news was that the stomach trouble and the fever had subsided.

At about 7 am, I was advised by the nurses on duty to either get discharged or be ready to pay for being admitted overnight should a new set of staff take over for morning duty. Since I felt a bit better, I opted to get discharged. A quick look in the mirror revealed that I have had a serious bout within a few hours. It was a horrible food poisoning situation. Was it Escherichia coli? Was it Shigella? Or was it another bacteria capable of causing food poisonings such as Bacillus cereus, Campylobacter jejuni, Clostridium botulinum, Clostridium perfringens, Listeria monocytogenes, or Staphylococcus aureus? I had no idea and no idea was given by the medical personnel.

Perhaps the whole food poisoning thing might not have been so memorable (nah, just joking, that shit was memorable) assuming that terrible constipation did not set in as a result of one of the antibiotic infusions that were passed into my system. For about a week after the whole event, I did not visit the toilet. It was not a concern initially until two weeks after when the deed still remained undone.

I resorted to different drugs, including the likes of oral senokot and liquid paraffin but all to no avail. I was about to head back to the hospital to seek help until a fruit smoothie was suggested by a close friend. After taking the smoothie a couple of times, I was fortunate enough to get the reprieve I had long sought.

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source: @gentleshaid

Why I'll always prefer local foods

Foods from fast food outlets look all fanciful and aesthetic in appearance, especially under different fanciful lights in which they are usually displayed. The ambient light often covers for whatever defects these foods may have. Many of these foods will actually fail the appropriate food quality tests.

Compared to local food cafeterias where foods are usually served hot while still on the fire, fast foods could be harboring pathogens from the environment and as a result of cross-contamination from handling. I will rather go for food that is being served at 70 to 80 degrees temperature where pathogens have got no chance than some foods covered in fanciful lights. Unless, of course, the food is being prepared and served afresh. I have had my fair share of their evils.

Further Reading

https://microbiologysociety.org/why-microbiology-matters/what-is-microbiology/microbes-and-food/food-poisoning.html
https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/safe-food-handling
https://www.healthline.com/health/food-poisoning



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16 comments
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Damm food poisoning sucks! I also have some experience, my mother was a chef so im super picky in the places i eat...

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Especially if you've had a near-death experience from it...

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ye i cant even start to imagine what you felt... took me a long time to understand the importance of properly choosing the spots to eat...

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I agree that fresh and local is better.

As for the food poisoning problem ... this probably depends on where you live. The food at most fast food chains in the US is so overprocessed that it is rare to get food poisoning. The large chains in the US worry about reputation. So, if a unit in a chain serves up bad food they get removed from the chain.

I've gotten food poisoning from private label fast food companies.

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There are better monitoring and regulations in developed countries, I guess. That's unlike here where monitoring is grossly inadequate.

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Food poisoning is one of the problems associated with most fast food places. One just has to be careful when it comes to eating out side when one can not afford to cook at home.


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(Edited)

As an ex chef I can just suggest you to never eat outside. No matter if it’s a fast food stand, michelin star restaurant or 5* hotel.

Eat healthy every day
Workout every day
100% organic glutenfree unprocessed vegan food

...everything else is poisonous for you and the planet

Local should just be preferred if organic. How does it help you if you support the farmer next door using chemicals to destroy the soil?

It’s very simple but we make it complicated

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I have never had a case of food poisoning but I have seen someone it landed in the hospital. Not a good experience at all. Some of these fast foods we eat, we don't know under what conditions the meal was prepared. We just love the aroma and how well it is packaged and carving starts

Locally made food especially home cooked meals are the best. At least you put into consideration all necessary hygiene procedures while cooking..

I hope you are feeling better already. @dreemport brought me to your post

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Food poisoning could be terrible. Glad you are feeling better.
Last week I was traveling like crazy, eating out most of the time.
I came down with food poisoning.
but I was quick to spot it and took all the required precautions.
I still struggled for a couple of days but was back to normal .
I usually carry home cooked food with me while traveling. However there are times you can't do it.

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😬 sorry to hear about the issue you have faced. 100% agreed with your point of view. In the previous month, my family insisted I digest chicken broast and ot was being ordered by the well-known restaurant. I engulfed it but the next day continue vomiting restricted me to give online exam🥺

The local food if needed gives you a bit of satisfaction due to preparation at high temperature. But junk food 😬 arghhh it's poisonous all the time.
Preparing food at home hmm it's too good hehe.
As @dreemport helped me to land on your post successfully here I am presenting something that doesn't have E.coli or Bacillus cereus

PSX_20210830_112702.jpg

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Hate to hear about food poisoning. Sucks being on the crapper constantly and your ass being raw and vomiting so much you think you will see your shoes come out your mouth. Yeah, I've been there and feel ya man.

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That was about the only history of food poisoning that I've got as far as my memory can carry me. If I had tarried a bit more from going to the hospital, I would not have made it.

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I’m glad you went and you are here to tell the story my friend.

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