Anyone who has been unfortunate enough to experience food poisoning will know how awful it can be, and while most of us do what we can to ensure our food hygiene is up to scratch, sometimes we're caught off-guard by a bad meal or snack.
One gut health scientist has left many people gobsmacked after revealing the five foods he always avoids, and some of them are items that you're likely to always order in a restaurant or pick up in the supermarket.
The man, who is known as Mr Gut Health on TikTok, filmed a video explaining why he refuses to eat these foods. According to him, they are a no-go as they are the ones that are 'most likely' to give someone food poisoning.
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The scientist claims that food poisoning can "increase your risk of having long-term gut health problems such as post-infectious IBS".
Kicking off his forbidden foods list, the man reveals a photo of oysters before explaining why he avoid them. He said: "Oysters are filter feeders so they pick up everything in the water, including bacteria".
"Don't order your beef burgers rare," he continues, as "it's not the same as getting a steak. Beef burgers are typically made from minced meat so all the bacteria on the outside gets mixed in together. Make sure you order them at least medium rare".
Next up, the expert warns against discounted sushi, as it can be a major culprit for food poisoning. "Most fish used to make sushi is actually frozen to kill the parasites and bacteria but it goes off really quickly once prepared, so make sure you eat it all on the same day".
The man then pans to an image of a pack of supermarket sushi with a yellow reduced label on it, and says: "If you're buying this stuff then you're just asking for it really".
The final food item that the expert warns against is perhaps the most shocking, as he reveals the major issue with plumping for bagged salad in the supermarket.
"How mad is this... 22% of all food poisoning outbreaks in the last decade have been linked to salads," he says, while citing the CDC.
"The reason these pre-washed, pre-packaged salads are so risky is because there's so many potential cross-contamination points and the inside of the bags are always moist and that's a perfect environment for bacteria to proliferate".
Hundreds of people flooded to the comments section on the expert's video to share their shock at his revelations, and many shared their own experience of getting sick after eating the foods he mentioned.
One surprised person wrote: "wow, I live on bagged salads. omg.... it's like an e**in minefield".
Another TikTok user confirmed that she had experienced food poisoning from bagged greens, as she said: "Definitely been very poorly from bagged salads. Never bought anymore after that".
The gut health expert explained how he would eat bagged lettuce if he had to, writing in the comments: "For something like spinach that only comes in bags, I’d buy unmixed and unwashed. Wash yourself at home".
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