4 types of foods that can cause food poisoning in the elderly

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Foodborne illnesses from pathogenic microbes pose a greater danger as you age.

Getting a gut disease from what you eat is unpleasant at any age, but the stakes are higher the older you get.

“Older people are more likely to have severe foodborne illness that can lead to hospitalization,” says Patricia Griffin, MD, chief of the CDC’s Division of Enteric Disease Epidemiology. “Nearly half of people over age 65 with a confirmed foodborne illness caused by Salmonella, Campylobacter, Listeria, or E. coli end up hospitalized.”

Here are 7 types of foods that can cause enteric illness.

1. Chicken, beef, pork, and turkey

Undercooking and cross-contamination are the two biggest risks associated with meat. Wash your hands; keep raw meat away from other ingredients; and cook chicken, beef, pork, and turkey to a safe temperature. Ignore recipes that recommend rinsing raw meat with water. This practice does not make your food safer, and splashing water can spread germs from raw meat to other foods, utensils, and surfaces. Always make sure meat is cooked thoroughly.

2. Fruits and Vegetables

Produce can pick up germs anywhere along the way, from the farm where it was grown to the store where it was sold—even from your kitchen counter when you bring it home. Proper washing is the key to safety. Wash your hands with warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds before and after preparing any produce. Cut off any damaged or bruised areas before cooking or eating.

3. Seafood

Vibrio bacteria that live in seawater. They can cause an infection called vibriosis, which is a significant health risk for people over 65. They can also contain norovirus, which can cause diarrheal symptoms in older people.

4. Sprouts

Eating raw or lightly cooked sprouts of any kind, whether alfalfa, mung beans, or clover, can lead to food poisoning from harmful microbes. The reason is that as the seeds (grown in warm, moist conditions) provide the sprouts with nutrients, they also encourage the growth of bacteria. As it sprouts, not only does the sprout grow happily, but the bacteria also thrive.