Bill Marler is a specialist in food-borne illness and has researched diseases you can get through food for more than 30 years. He’s aware that a lot of disease come through the mouth and now he’s sharing the foods he would never put in his mouth in order to avoid food poisoning.
Here are the 4 products Marler never eats:
1. Previously washed or chopped fruits or vegetables
“I strictly avoid pre-washed or pre-cut fruits and vegetables”, says Bill.
The expert buys only fresh products that aren’t previously washed or already prepared for consuming and he eats them in just a few days to reduce the risk of getting Listeria. Listeria can grow at refrigerator temps.
2. Raw meat
Meat that hasn’t been boiled, baked or fried well can contain salmonella, E. Coli and many other bacteria.
“If it’s not cooked thoroughly to 160°F throughout, it can cause poisoning by E. coli and Salmonella and other bacterial illnesses,” he says.
As for steaks, needle tenderizing—a common restaurant practice in which the steak is pierced with needles or sliced with knives to break down the muscle fibers and make it more tender—can also transfer bugs from the surface to the interior of the meat.
3. Unpasteurized milk and packed juices
Raw milk and juices that aren’t pasteurized can contain E.Coli which if not treated, can lead to serious kidney damage. According to Bill Marler there were 148 food poisoning outbreaks linked to raw milk and raw milk products in the US between 1998 and 2011.
“There’s no benefit big enough to take away the risk of drinking products that can be made safe by pasteurization,” he says.
4. Fresh or under-cooked eggs
The expert strongly advises you to cook your eggs well before consuming them because raw eggs can contain Salmonella. You may remember the Salmonella epidemic of the 1980s and early ’90s that was linked mainly to eggs. The most recent salmonella outbreak from eggs, in 2010, caused roughly 2,000 reported cases of illness.