{"id":929,"date":"2017-06-27T06:22:52","date_gmt":"2017-06-27T06:22:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/?p=929"},"modified":"2021-05-13T15:50:54","modified_gmt":"2021-05-13T15:50:54","slug":"16-common-symptoms-food-poisoning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/16-common-symptoms-food-poisoning\/","title":{"rendered":"16 Common Symptoms of Food Poisoning"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Food poisoning can sometimes feel like the ultimate betrayal: you just ate a delicious sandwich from the deli and you\u2019re feeling great about yourself as a result. It was tasty, it was affordable and it was satiating.<\/p>\n

And then just shortly after, you start to feel really rather ill. The symptoms of food poisoning can be graphic, extreme and very painful and sometimes they can last for weeks, rendering you completely useless, forcing you to take extensive time off of work and really making life rather not fun for a while. And while it is rare, sometimes food poisoning doesn\u2019t get better on its own and can actually be quite dangerous.<\/p>\n

Food poisoning is of course the result of eating contaminated food. Most specifically, it is food that is contaminated with bacteria and the most common culprits are salmonella and Escherichia coli. It can also be caused by viruses, such as norovirus.<\/p>\n

Food poisoning is also any host\u2019s worst nightmare. The idea that your guests might be incredibly sick because of your dinner spread is an uncomfortable one and one that might render you friendless during future events.<\/p>\n

But here\u2019s the good news: it might not be food poisoning! It might actually be a stomach bug, which can actually have a number of very similar symptoms. In this post, we\u2019ll look at 16 common signs of food poisoning to help you identify whether that is really what\u2019s going on.<\/p>\n

1. \u00a0Feeling Sick<\/h3>\n

The first thing you are likely to notice is that you feel sick in your stomach. This can make itself known through general stomach pain and cramps<\/a>, as well as churning and feeling as though you need to throw up.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s happening here is that your body is responding to the bacteria that\u2019s now in your gut and trying to get rid of it. This results in feelings of sickness as your system has a reaction and tries to drive out the illness.<\/p>\n

If you are lucky and you catch the problem early, then eating activated charcoal may help. This highly porous substance is actually able to absorb a range of contaminants and can thereby actually remove bacteria and other threats from your stomach. It doesn\u2019t always work though!<\/p>\n

\"\"2. \u00a0Being Sick<\/h3>\n

Of course the body will really react by being sick. This is an attempt to try and purge your body of the bacteria or the virus<\/a>, just as it tries to purge itself of alcohol or other toxins. The vomiting is not actually caused by the bacteria per say but rather it is caused by the body itself in reaction to the bacteria.<\/p>\n

This is nothing to be worried about but if you vomit repeatedly and are unable to keep fluids down then you may be at risk of dehydration and should see a doctor soon. Drink as much water as you can the rest of the time.<\/p>\n

\"\"3. \u00a0Diarrhea<\/h3>\n

So your body is going to try and bring up the bacteria or virus in order to expel it from its system. However, it is not only the mouth that is possible of ridding you of bacteria \u2013 it\u2019s also the other end. Thus you might find that you experience urgent, regular and soft diarrhea<\/a> alongside the other symptoms and can end up erupting from both ends, leaving you pretty much toilet-bound until you can find a solution.<\/p>\n

\"\"4. \u00a0Temperature<\/h3>\n

Again, most of the symptoms of food poisoning are actually caused by the body itself trying to get rid of the bacteria or the virus \u2013 which is actually what cause a lot of symptoms in a lot of illnesses.<\/p>\n

This is the function of a temperature<\/a> which causes the body to get hotter in response to a foreign invasion. This means that a fever itself is not actually anything to worry about but rather a natural reaction of the body to bacteria. That said, it does become a worry if it goes over 103F (39.4C), or if it lasts for more than seven days. Fevers can eventually also cause dehydration and damage to the brain and other areas of the body, so don\u2019t allow it to go on indefinitely.<\/p>\n

\"\"5. \u00a0Loss of Appetite<\/h3>\n

When there is unwanted bacteria in the stomach and it is doing everything it can to try and remove said food through either end, then it should come as no surprise that this can also reduce your appetite<\/a>. This is also likely to be made worse by a fever which also prevents us from wanting to eat and from general lethargy.<\/p>\n

\"\"6. \u00a0Tiredness<\/h3>\n

While not one of the primary symptoms, it is very common to feel tired and lethargic following a bout of food poisoning. The reason for this is that you will have been putting a lot of energy<\/a> and effort into fighting the bug, which is going to leave you with very little left to do anything else. You might find that you want to sleep a lot and that you struggle to find the motivation to get up and do other things. This can also be made worse by the effort of vomiting.<\/p>\n

\"\"7. \u00a0Muscle Soreness<\/h3>\n

Food poisoning can also leave your muscles feeling achy and sore. This is another symptom of your body trying to drive out the bacteria or the virus and it also tends to occur alongside any fever. This makes the aforementioned tiredness<\/a> and lethargy worse, leaving you with very little energy to get up and do anything at all.<\/p>\n

On the whole, the symptoms of food poisoning are very similar to the symptoms of an infection or the flu. In particular, the symptoms are similar to a stomach infection, sometimes called a \u2018stomach flu\u2019. This can make it somewhat hard to diagnose the condition. However, some of the following symptoms are going to help make this distinction a little easier.<\/p>\n

\"\"8. \u00a0You Ate Something Worrying<\/h3>\n

This not a symptom but rather a risk factor<\/a>. In other words, if you think you have food poisoning, then that means that you must have eaten something that is capable of giving you food poisoning.
\nThe most obvious example would be meat that isn\u2019t properly cooked, especially chicken which can carry salmonella. This is why it is so important for mothers to be extra careful with what they eat while they are pregnant.<\/p>\n

Other common causes include foods bought from less reliable sources: for example if you\u2019ve bought a sandwich from a gas station that was very cheap, then there is a relatively high chance that this could have led to food poisoning.<\/p>\n

\"\"9. \u00a0You Didn\u2019t Clean Your Surfaces<\/h3>\n

But what if you have some of the symptoms on this list, you think it\u2019s likely to be food poisoning<\/a>, but you haven\u2019t eaten any meats lately?<\/p>\n

Well in that case, there is a good chance that the bacteria came from a surface instead. Bacteria can live on the surfaces of your kitchen and other rooms for a long time and this makes it easy for them to get transferred onto your foods. So even if you\u2019re eating something with no meat, it still could cause food poisoning.<\/p>\n

\"\"10. \u00a0You Ate a Few Hours Ago<\/h3>\n

Sometimes it can still be hard to differentiate between food poisoning and a stomach<\/a> bug \u2013 especially if you aren\u2019t sure if anything you ate recently could have been the cause.<\/p>\n

A good way to be sure is to think about whether what you ate recently. In most cases, the effects of food poisoning will be felt within a few hours of eating. This is the best reassurance for those hosts! If your friend is sick a couple of days after you served them, then it is unlikely though not impossible that you caused the problem.<\/p>\n

\"\"11. \u00a0Chills<\/h3>\n

Along with muscle aches and a fever, you can expect to notice all the other common effects of a flu or infection, including chills<\/a>. You might find you get goosebumps, or that perhaps your skin feels painful to the touch. These are signs of some kind of bacterial infection or virus and again, that your body is trying to fight!<\/p>\n

\"\"12. \u00a0Muscle Cramping<\/h3>\n

As well as causing cramping in your abdomen, food poisoning can also result in more general cramps<\/a> across your entire body. This occurs for several reasons but one of the most common reasons is the dehydration. As you experience a lot of diarrhea and a lot of vomiting, you end up removing the fluid from your body and this can leave you with an imbalance of electrolytes. The result is that you are more likely to experience cramping in the legs and other parts of the body.<\/p>\n

\"\"13. \u00a0Blood in the Stool<\/h3>\n

Don\u2019t be too alarmed if you notice that your stool has blood in it. This can actually be a fairly common symptom following a bout of food poisoning and is a result of the bowels working so hard to flush out the stomach. You might also notice a little discoloration in the form of bile or mucus<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This is not a pretty illness!<\/p>\n

\"\"14. \u00a0Headache<\/h3>\n

Finally, the last \u2018common\u2019 symptom of food poisoning is headaches<\/a>. These can occur for a number of reasons. Headaches can occur alongside any infection or bacterial invasion for instance and they may also result from retching and heaving which can cause \u2018pressure headaches\u2019 as the muscles in the head tighten. Headache can also be the result of dehydration, which causes the brain to shrink and pull away from the inside of the skull.<\/p>\n

\"\"15. \u00a0Dizziness<\/h3>\n

Dizziness<\/a> can occur alongside dehydration and is possible with any form of food poisoning to an extent. However, this is a symptom that you need to be wary of, as if you notice it to an extreme degree then it may point to botulism. Botulism is a condition that is caused by bacteria that thrives in oxygen free environments. It is therefore different from other foodborn pathogens and can come with a range of other symptoms.<\/p>\n

\"\"16. \u00a0Difficulty Swallowing, Dry Mouth<\/h3>\n

One of the other symptoms of botulism is a very dry mouth<\/a> and this can also make it difficult to swallow. In some case, it can also make it difficult to speak. In this case, you should see a doctor urgently, as it can also be a symptom of stroke.<\/p>\n

Of course, a dry mouth might also occur with regular food poisoning and simply be a result of dehydration.<\/p>\n

\"\"17. \u00a0Paralysis<\/h3>\n

Finally, paralysis<\/a> is an extremely rare symptom of botulism. This is highly uncommon and unlikely but in a few cases it can happen and so food poisoning is one explanation to consider.<\/p>\n

In general then, there are many things that can point to food poisoning. For the most part though, if you are being sick and experiencing diarrhea and if no one else around you is getting sick (or only your fellow diners are)\u2026 well then it\u2019s probably food poisoining.<\/p>\n\r\n

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