Food Poisoning and the Microbiome
If you’ve ever experienced food poisoning, aka food borne illness, it is an experience you will remember! Ingesting contaminated food or water will stimulate the body’s immune system to fight and eject the pathogen as quickly as possible, causing symptoms such as:
abdominal pain
nausea
cramping
vomiting
diarrhea
fever
...which can lead to severe fatigue, dehydration, and muscle cramps 🥴
Knowing how to minimize the likelihood of getting food poisoning is important, and so is knowing what to do if you do get sick. Keep reading to learn the take-aways from my experience with food-poisoning, including the things I wouldn’t suggest, products I wished I had on hand, and my recommendations for healing the microbiome after such a disruptive event!
What is Food Poisoning?
Food poisoning is a result of ingesting food or water contaminated with harmful pathogens. These contaminants can include bacteria like Salmonella and E. coli, viruses such as Norovirus, parasites like Giardia, and toxins produced by certain bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus. When these pathogens enter the gastrointestinal tract, the immune system is alerted that there is a dangerous invader. In response, the body try to eradicate the pathogen which leads to an array of uncomfortable symptoms like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, and dehydration.
Depending on the person’s immune system, the particular species ingested, along with the amount of toxin consumed, the onset of symptoms can be anywhere from 1 hour to a few days! In my experience, its commonly reported to present about 12-15 hours after eating or drinking the contaminated food/drink.
How Does it Happen?
Food poisoning can occur at any stage of the food production process. Contamination can happen during farming, processing, storage, or preparation of food. Common causes include:
Improper Food Handling: Failure to wash hands, utensils, and surfaces can lead to cross-contamination of food.
Undercooked Food: Consuming raw or undercooked meat, poultry, eggs, or seafood can harbor harmful bacteria.
Contaminated Water: Drinking or using contaminated water, especially in developing countries, can cause foodborne illnesses.
Unsafe Food Storage: Storing food at incorrect temperatures, allowing bacteria to multiply.
Eating Raw or Unwashed Produce: Fresh fruits and vegetables can carry harmful microorganisms if not washed thoroughly.
Best Practices to Avoid:
By understanding how food poisoning happens, as seen above, avoiding food poisoning can be quite simple by following basic hygiene, storage, and cooking practices. The highest risk seems to come from eating food that others have prepared, simply because there’s no way to know the preventative measures taken by those that provided the food, such as in restaurants or prepackaged foods from stores, airports, delis, etc.
Yet there are some foods that tend to be more susceptible to developing bacteria, either due to the nature of the food or the environment in which its stored. This is not intended to create fear around these foods or to encourage you to never eat them, but its good to be informed so you can make choices in your best interest! Here are a few food items that are commonly associated with food borne illness:
1. Sprouts: raw sprouts, like alfalfa and bean sprouts, can harbor harmful bacteria like Salmonella and E. coli. The warm, humid conditions required for sprouting are ideal for bacterial growth. The risk is lower if you grow them yourself, but I would not personally buy them at a grocery store or meal out.
2. Processed Meats: processed meats, such as deli meats and hot dogs, can be contaminated with Listeria and other bacteria during processing.
3. Prepackaged Salads: raw leafy greens often carry a higher risk for harboring E.Coli.
4. Raw meat, eggs, seafood, and dairy can harbor harmful bacteria. Yet like anything, if these items come from quality sources and are handled & prepared properly the risk is greatly reduced.
5. Shellfish: shellfish, such as mussels, clams, and oysters, can accumulate harmful bacteria and viruses from polluted waters. Cooking shellfish thoroughly is crucial to kill these pathogens.
6. Cross-Contaminated Foods: foods can also become contaminated through cross-contamination. For example, if a cutting board used for raw chicken is not properly cleaned before preparing vegetables, the vegetables can become contaminated.
Food Poisoning Rescue Guide:
With my last bout of food poisoning, I did everything I knew how to help my body through the process and I learned A LOT along the way. Here are some major take-aways:
Take a Binder: binders will attach to the toxin and help support your body in capturing and moving it out!
If you are still in the purging process and throwing up, it is not helpful to take a capsule supplement since it will be coming right back up! Instead take a liquid liposomal binder which will absorb quickly into your system. Here are some examples:
If you are able to keep a supplement down, even for just an hour, the Standard Process products called Cholacol II is good for intestinal detoxification and food poisoning. It helps to quickly neutralize allergens.
Hydrate with Electrolytes: as your body purges, staying hydrated is extremely hard to do. Dehydration can be the biggest danger with this illness!
While in the throws of being sick, I suggest:
Enhance hydration/absorption by adding sea salt and lemon to your water, which combines to make a natural electrolyte drink. This is far better than products like Pedialyte which is primarily dextrose (aka sugar) and often contains harmful chemical ingredients such as sucralose and foods dyes (Red 40, Blue 1, etc).
If you can’t keep water down, try sucking on ice cubes and sprinkling sea salt on your tongue to help restore the loss of minerals.
To rehydrate quickly after your body has stopped purging:
Continue to drink water and electrolytes, and consider going to a quality IV company to receive a saline bag/Meyers drip to quickly restore balance.
Support the Microbiome: after such a disruptive event, food poisoning can lead to inflammation in the digestive tract and imbalance in the gut flora community inhabiting your intestines. I have had multiple clients who’s digestive issues began AFTER a food poisoning event, often displaying imbalance years later. It is vitally important to take special care in supporting the growth of healthy microorganisms in the gut, allowing the body to restore to its natural balance.
Bone Broth: if tolerated, organic bone broth can be an excellent ‘first meal’ after experiencing food poisoning. It provides a powerhouse of nutrients, protein, healthy fats, and contains high amounts of glutamine which helps heal ‘leaky gut.’ If you want to make your own, here is a recipe! If you prefer to buy, a few quality brands that you can find at most health stores include Kettle & Fire, EPIC, and Bonafide.
Probiotic Foods: contrary to popular opinion, taking a probiotic supplement after food poisoning may not be the best idea! After food poisoning (similar to antibiotic use), the number and diversity of microbes in the gut is decimate. A healthy gut is home to thousands of different species, and introducing a supplement with perhaps 1-10 different species is NOT going to help repopulate diversity, and could even tip the scale to imbalance. This is why I recommend eating probiotic foods and prebiotic foods to support the growth of various species, in a more natural way. Some examples include sauerkraut or kimchi (moderate on spice), pickled veggies, kiefer, etc.
Prebiotic Foods: these are like fertilizer to your microbiome garden! Eating produce that contains insoluble fibers support the growth of many beneficial bacteria. Some examples of prebiotic foods include: artichokes, garlic, asparagus, mushrooms, leaks, and apples.
Reset Your Nervous System: food borne illness puts your body through the ringer and the nervous system takes the hit. Although it is a relatively 'quick’ illness, the body still needs some TLC to recover. Here are a few of my favorite ways to get back to 100%:
Massage: some therapists have been trained in abdominal massage which can be very helpful after food poisoning.
Yin Yoga: moving your body in a slow, restorative way can relax the nervous system and help you stretch out areas holding tension.
Float Tanks: also called deprivation tanks, this experience allows you to effortlessly float in water due to its high content of salt. The air and water temperature match your body’s temperature, so you truly can relax in the quiet, calming space for 60-90min!
Nature & Sun Baths: the number one way to restore or improve your microbiome is time in nature! Exposing yourself to microbes in various natural environments builds up diversity and increases communication body-wide…fascinating right? The sun also naturally restores many depleted vitamins, minerals, and even hormone production in the body.
I hope this article will arm you with the knowledge to ward off food poisoning to the best of your ability, and equip you with the tools necessary to recover swiftly in the unfortunate event that you need them! And of course, please seek medical attention if the symptoms of food poisoning persist, severe dehydration is a concern, or medical intervention is needed or suspected!