THESE eating habits are a risk to your health; here’s how to avoid them

Diseases caused by food contamination are one of the biggest causes of death and disease in the world. Many people do not have the proper education on how to handle food so that it does not pose a risk to their health. Some even maintain habits that can significantly affect their risk of death.

According to the WHO, around 420,000 people die each year from food contamination. Therefore, it is necessary to know the eating habits that cause problems and the customs we can adopt to reduce the risk of infection or the spread of diseases.

Eating habits that pose a risk to human health

There are three main types of contamination, namely: biological, caused by disease-causing agents present in food; chemical, caused by harmful substances; and physical, caused by objects present in food that can harm or carry organisms to the body, such as hair, for example.

Knowing this, we can notice some customs that lead to food contamination, some of them are basic and well-known, but even so, many people practice them or are unaware of them.

In the farming

Some practices that occur on the plantation itself greatly increase the risk of contamination. The use of pesticides is often necessary, but when used in excessive quantities, they can contaminate the food that reaches the end consumer.

Furthermore, the use of antibiotics or even planting crops in contaminated soil or water is very harmful. Poorly composted manure can also cause serious diseases.

In manipulation

The use of dirty materials to handle food is extremely harmful, and this incorrect handling is very common.

In addition, we can highlight the lack of washing of newly purchased or recently harvested goods, not washing hands, handling food after some activity that exposed it to dirt and even poor food preparation.

Raw food or food purchased from street stalls poses a major health risk, as it is exposed to microorganisms present in the air, for example. Therefore, it is ideal to make sure that the food consumed has undergone the proper cleaning and preparation processes.

What causes contamination and how to avoid it?

Many diseases are caused by eating contaminated food, such as cholera, typhoid fever, stomach or intestinal infections, among others. They can cause different negative effects on the body, which can lead to disorders or even death.

However, it is possible to avoid food exposure as much as possible with small practices that make a big difference. These include storing and separating food properly, wearing clean clothes when handling food, and washing both products and hands frequently.

Furthermore, practices must be adopted by food vendors and farmers, using clean water and chemicals in quantities approved by the regulatory body. In addition, training is required for those who handle any product.