Most of us are educated people. And not just educated, but familiar with the rules of hygiene. We wash our hands before eating, try to keep the food fresh, and don’t drink tap water. And yet in the summer, especially in the country, we are not immune from intestinal disorders, as well as poisoning and intestinal infections.
What are the causes of these problems? How to understand that it is time to see a doctor, and what situations are faster and smarter to cope with yourself? What to do if you suspect poisoning? Is it possible to prevent bowel problems?
Summer poisoning: non-obvious causes
- “Blind spots” of hygiene
Experts still believe that dirty hands are one of the main causes of summer poisoning. We have no doubt that you wash your hands before eating and cooking. And in the process?
It is important to wash your hands while cooking, if you had to, for example, touch unwashed vegetables, just removed from the garden, or raw meat. You should also wash the knife that you used to peel vegetables or fruits, or cut meat. It is necessary to wash the cutting boards with warm water and soap when moving from one cooking stage to another or when using the same board for different products.
If the dishes from which you plan to eat are stored on open shelves or in the sink, they should also be pre-washed.You also need to remember that under the long nails clogged earth, which is usually washed with soap and remove it from there is quite difficult-you will need a special brush.
- Not enough clean vegetables and fruits
Many people think that” their own”,” home”, not treated with pesticides fruits, vegetables and herbs do not need to be thoroughly washed. Children usually prefer to eat vegetables and fruits from a bush, tree, or even from the ground. Meanwhile, the fruits receive soil and water containing a huge number of microorganisms, including pathogenic ones, and insects that often carry pathogens of intestinal diseases sit or even live in them. Organic fertilizers, such as manure or infused onion husks, which can get on greens and berries, are also not the most useful seasoning for our intestines.
Another common mistake is to wash fruit or berries and put them on the table to eat at any time. At the same time, only one fly sitting on the fruit can cause infection in the entire family.
- Poor water quality
Water from a well or spring seems clean, delicious, “alive”. However, it is strongly not recommended to drink it unpeeled and not boiled. Also, do not wash vegetables and fruits in it and do not use it for brushing your teeth. The argument that several generations have drunk from this well is unconvincing. Anything could have got into the well in your absence. In addition, in recent years, there has often been contamination of water in open sources (which includes the well) with nitrates and heavy metals from the soil, and a bacteriological hazard in the heat can occur at any time.
The optimal source of water is an artesian well, and you can drink raw water from it. For safety reasons, it is better to filter and boil well and spring water, especially for children.
- Improper storage and handling of products
Living conditions in rural areas are usually more modest than in a city apartment. But even if there is a refrigerator in the country, in the private sector there are often power outages, because of which the products in the refrigerator deteriorate. At the same time, products for the future are being purchased for the country house, as there may not be any shops in the immediate vicinity
Homemade dairy products (milk, cottage cheese, sour cream) also often cause poisoning. Summer is not the best time to buy homemade cottage cheese or sour cream. You don’t know when these products were made, how they were stored, how long they were sold. The same applies to pies of unknown origin. No matter how appetizing they look, it’s best to be careful.
- Feast in the open air
In addition to meat cooked over an open fire and not always thoroughly fried, other dishes are served on the table, which in hot weather are a real “resort” for various bacteria and intestinal viruses. Especially dangerous in this regard are salads dressed with mayonnaise or sour cream, which stand on the table for several hours.
It is also worth remembering about flies and other insects that can safely settle on any dish in the fresh air. And flies, as we have already written, are carriers of infections.
- Poisoning by nitrates and nitrites, pesticides and other chemicals
Poisoning with vegetables most often occurs in the spring: it is in the early and greenhouse “gifts of the earth” that an increased concentration of nitrates can usually be observed. But in the summer there is a risk of poisoning if you buy a product from an unscrupulous manufacturer. Even poisoning with self-grown vegetables and fruits is not uncommon if fertilizers and pesticides were not used in accordance with the instructions.
In the beautiful and beloved time of the year – summer — intestinal infections attack us much more often, because warm weather is a favorable condition for the life of various harmful microorganisms.
Read also: Poisoning and intestinal infections in the country: Causes, first aid, prevention (Part 2)
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