Food poisoning might be more common than you think

A stomach infection can be agonizing for the couple days that it lasts.

You may have caught it being around someone who had it, or by eating food that contained infectious microorganisms or viruses.

There’s a good chance the culprit is norovirus, the most common cause of food poisoning. Every year, the highly infectious virus causes nearly half of infections in the United States that are caused by tainted food.

But there are other disease-causing organisms in food that can trigger nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Disease-causing organisms in food

Food can be contaminated with bacteria, viruses or fungi, microorganisms you can’t see but can do a lot of harm. They can make food unsafe to eat, because the organisms can continue to grow in your digestive track and make you sick.

Besides norovirus, these are some of the more common causes of a stomach infection:

• Listeria
• Salmonella
• E. coli

These microorganisms get on the food by accident when it was grown, picked or delivered.

Sometimes the virus isn’t in the food but on a surface you touch — possibly a light switch or a faucet. Then you take in the bacteria or virus by touching your face or eating something without washing your hands first, and you get sick.

Symptoms of different stomach infections

Many of the symptoms of a stomach infection, regardless of the source, are similar: nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. But there are some more symptoms you typically have with certain stomach infections:

• Listeria: severe body aches, a blood infection called bacteremia and high fever – over 101.3 degrees even with fever-reducing medication or 104 degrees without medication
• Salmonella: fever, chills, stomach cramps, bloody diarrhea and a headache
• E. coli: severe stomach cramps and bloody diarrhea

Foods at highest risk for food poisoning

Raw fruits or vegetables are more likely to cause food poisoning than something you’d cook, such as meat, because in cooking the meat, you kill off many harmful bacteria or viruses.

When leftovers spoil

Sometimes food that was initially safe to eat spoils because it’s left out too long or left in the refrigerator for too many days.

A bean salad may have gotten stuck in the back of a shelf, and you forgot about it. It was good a week ago, but not on Day 10. Lift off the lid and you can tell right away by the smell or the slick coating on the beans. You should dispose of that food and spare yourself the unpleasant experience of eating it.

Bacteria and mold, which occur naturally on food — even after you rinse it — can multiply as the food ages, even if it’s being refrigerated. As they grow, the bacteria feed off the nutrients in the food. Bacteria can multiply really quickly, if they’re given favorable conditions.

A common mistake people make with leftovers is not reheating them before eating them. Heating them will eliminate harmful bacteria that may have grown on the food since it was first cooked.

When symptoms of a stomach infection start

Most stomach infections begin causing symptoms anywhere from one to three days after you’re exposed to the virus or harmful bacteria.

The timeline for norovirus symptoms typically is a little shorter. Symptoms kick in one to two days after you’re exposed to it.

How long does food poisoning last?

Often, a stomach infection lasts only one to two days. To prevent from becoming dehydrated, it’s important to make sure you’re drinking clear liquids such as water, broth or drinks with electrolytes.

How to avoid a stomach infection

Wash your hands before eating or handling food. Wash vegetables and fruit with water before eating them.

If you become infected with norovirus, clean the surfaces you touch using cleaners with bleach, the most effective way to kill the virus, which can live on surfaces for up to two weeks.

It doesn’t take much harmful bacteria or viruses to make you sick, if you’re among the one in four people in the country with a weakened immune system. Many people become immunocompromised because of pregnancy, age (older adults or young children) or a health condition such as lupus, cancer or diabetes.

If you take antacid medications, you can become more vulnerable to infections from food. Those medications reduce your stomach acids, which can kill off harmful bacteria and other microorganisms.

What to drink and eat with a stomach infection

• Broth
• Water
• Coconut water
• Electrolyte solutions such as Gatorade or Pedialyte (check sugar content, if you have diabetes)

Avoid caffeinated drinks, because they’re diuretics, causing you to urinate more often rather than retain water.

Once you’re able to hold down fluids, start with bland, low-fat foods: bananas, plain rice, apple sauce and toast.

When to contact your health care provider for a stomach bug

Seek out your health care provider if you have:

• Six bowel movements in 24 hours and you’re not getting better
• A fever that fever-reducing medication isn’t bringing down below 101.3 degrees, or if your fever is 104 or higher
• Blood in vomit or diarrhea
• Severe stomach cramps
• Symptoms of dehydration: dry mouth, feel thirsty, dark yellow or brown urine, muscle cramps, confusion and dizziness

Food poisoning prevention

Washing your hands before eating and preparing food can help spare you from getting a stomach infection and from spreading it to anyone in your home, including your pets.