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5. Escargot
If you happen to find the prospect of consuming cooked snails repulsive, then their parasites aren't going to concern you. However, if you're in the opposite camp and can't think of a better conveyance for tasty garlic butter, then you might want to sit down before reading this. Did you know that snails themselves sometimes dine on decaying leaves, fecal matter and carrion? For this reason, one of the first steps in preparing a snail for the dinner table is to clean out its digestive system. Snail farmers often avoid a lot of potential toxicity by raising their livestock on ground cereal.
Think back to that diet -- not the ground cereal, the other stuff. Angiostrongylus cantonensis or rat lungworm frequently set up house in snails and other mollusks thanks to their indiscriminate palates. And since snails are both bottom feeders and tasty treats, they're perfect for transmitting these parasites. Enjoy some undercooked escargot and Angiostrongylus cantonensis might wind up in your brain, resulting in sickness, headache and even meningitis. Additionally, a poorly washed food snail can bring a number of other disease risks straight to your table.
To be fair, however, rat lungworm is common in a number of mollusks, including freshwater snails, slugs, shrimp and crabs. Frogs also play host. As always, the safest move is to err on the side of overcooking your creepy, crawly dinner choice.
4. Sushi and sashimi
The world's oceans are teaming with delicious life forms. The problem is that many of those life forms are home to parasites. You can eliminate the risk of infection by simply cooking your seafood thoroughly. Alternately, you can freeze the fish for a week or cure it in saturated salt brine for five to seven days.
Sadly, each of these techniques can leave sushi enthusiasts in the lurch. The whole point to sushi, after all, is to appreciate the taste and texture of fresh, raw seafood. The two problem worms to consider before dining on uncooked fruit of the sea are the Anisakidae nematode roundworms and the Diphyllobothrium tapeworm.
Of these, the roundworm is the most common. If ingested, you might not even notice it or suffer any symptoms. However, the worm can "tickle" your throat on the way down, and if it bores into your stomach lining, it can cause severe abdominal inflammation and pain within an hour of ingestion. Luckily, these pesky parasites don't survive longer than 10 days in the human digestive track.
The Diphyllobothrium tapeworm is common in salmon, as well as other saltwater fish that also frequent fresh water. These freeloaders can thrive in the human gut for years, causing abdominal pain, weakness, weight loss and anemia. Luckily, they can be eradicated through medical treatment.
To avoid risking a mouthful of spicy nematode roll or tapeworm sashimi, stick to reputable restaurants that follow food safety guidelines. If you're still feeling a bit paranoid, ask whether the fish has been previously frozen or stick to the many sushi options that use cooked or vegetarian ingredients.
3. Steak tartare
What's this, more raw meat? Do you see a pattern forming here? Naturally, steak or lamb tartare can offer an excellent risk for parasitic infection. Not only does the whole dish revolve around raw meat, but many recipes call for the addition of a raw egg as well. While a delectable treat in Asia, Eastern Europe and Ethiopia, all that raw meat serves up the risk for roundworms and the intracellular bacteria parasites salmonella, E. coli and Listeria monocytogenes.
The key here is to order tartare only from a reputable establishment. If you're going to eat it raw, you're going to want a very fresh, certified cut of meat and you're going to want it prepared in a hygienic environment. Some chefs put an emphasis on the use of grass-fed livestock, as the bacteria in grain-fed animals become acclimatized to an acidic environment, preparing them for survival in the human gut. Also, freezing a cut of beef for 14 days should wipe out any parasitic risks.
Steak and lamb tartare dishes (as well as other raw meats) remain a delicacy throughout the world and there's no reason to cease your enjoyment of them. Just exercise a little caution when choosing where you order it.
2. Pink hamburger
Granted, not all hamburgers are created equal. On one end of the spectrum, you have the discs of gray mystery meat grill-flipped by the hundreds at your local fast-food joint. On the other end, you have fancy gourmet burgers ground to order. Somewhere in between, summertime grill masters put the sizzle on some serious beef patties.
But if steak tartare is the classy method of consuming raw beef, then a rare, pink hamburger is generally considered the low-rent option for risking a bun full of E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes or salmonella. Undercooked hamburgers are a major risk factor for E. coli, with the number of outbreaks typically doubling during summer months.
Again, cleanliness and freshness are everything. While you might invite the prospect of a pink center in a $30 gourmet burger, you should send that pinkish fast-food burger back. In addition, a 2008 study published in the Annals of Diagnostic Pathology examined the contents of eight fast-food hamburgers and discovered Sarcocystis parasites in two of them. Unlike other parasites that might be lurking in a pink hamburger, Sarcocystis is usually asymptomatic.
1. Ham and pork sandwiches
Interestingly enough, one of the more statistically risky menu items isn't even raw. The USDA, FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rank simple deli meat right at the top of their lists for Listeria monocytogenes infection. These meats often feature extended refrigerated storage times, during which L. monocytogenes has adequate time to thrive. The lesson here is to use fresh deli meat and only frequent sandwich shops that are going to do the same.
Pork poses a host of other parasitic risks as well if undercooked or poorly stored. Pork tapeworms pose a severe threat in that they sometimes spread to a host's eyes, spine or brain with potentially fatal results. A Trichinella worm infection offers a similar array of dire symptoms, ranging from nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, fatigue and fever to muscle pain, chills, heart problems and even death. So when considering that roadside barbecue purchase or vending machine ham sandwich, exercise a little caution. You might spare yourself a whole lot of parasites.
Again, you can't beat cleanliness and fresh ingredients when choosing a restaurant. When all else fails, order it well done.
Where's Captain Obvious???
5. Escargot
If you happen to find the prospect of consuming cooked snails repulsive, then their parasites aren't going to concern you. However, if you're in the opposite camp and can't think of a better conveyance for tasty garlic butter, then you might want to sit down before reading this. Did you know that snails themselves sometimes dine on decaying leaves, fecal matter and carrion? For this reason, one of the first steps in preparing a snail for the dinner table is to clean out its digestive system. Snail farmers often avoid a lot of potential toxicity by raising their livestock on ground cereal.
Think back to that diet -- not the ground cereal, the other stuff. Angiostrongylus cantonensis or rat lungworm frequently set up house in snails and other mollusks thanks to their indiscriminate palates. And since snails are both bottom feeders and tasty treats, they're perfect for transmitting these parasites. Enjoy some undercooked escargot and Angiostrongylus cantonensis might wind up in your brain, resulting in sickness, headache and even meningitis. Additionally, a poorly washed food snail can bring a number of other disease risks straight to your table.
To be fair, however, rat lungworm is common in a number of mollusks, including freshwater snails, slugs, shrimp and crabs. Frogs also play host. As always, the safest move is to err on the side of overcooking your creepy, crawly dinner choice.
4. Sushi and sashimi
The world's oceans are teaming with delicious life forms. The problem is that many of those life forms are home to parasites. You can eliminate the risk of infection by simply cooking your seafood thoroughly. Alternately, you can freeze the fish for a week or cure it in saturated salt brine for five to seven days.
Sadly, each of these techniques can leave sushi enthusiasts in the lurch. The whole point to sushi, after all, is to appreciate the taste and texture of fresh, raw seafood. The two problem worms to consider before dining on uncooked fruit of the sea are the Anisakidae nematode roundworms and the Diphyllobothrium tapeworm.
Of these, the roundworm is the most common. If ingested, you might not even notice it or suffer any symptoms. However, the worm can "tickle" your throat on the way down, and if it bores into your stomach lining, it can cause severe abdominal inflammation and pain within an hour of ingestion. Luckily, these pesky parasites don't survive longer than 10 days in the human digestive track.
The Diphyllobothrium tapeworm is common in salmon, as well as other saltwater fish that also frequent fresh water. These freeloaders can thrive in the human gut for years, causing abdominal pain, weakness, weight loss and anemia. Luckily, they can be eradicated through medical treatment.
To avoid risking a mouthful of spicy nematode roll or tapeworm sashimi, stick to reputable restaurants that follow food safety guidelines. If you're still feeling a bit paranoid, ask whether the fish has been previously frozen or stick to the many sushi options that use cooked or vegetarian ingredients.
3. Steak tartare
What's this, more raw meat? Do you see a pattern forming here? Naturally, steak or lamb tartare can offer an excellent risk for parasitic infection. Not only does the whole dish revolve around raw meat, but many recipes call for the addition of a raw egg as well. While a delectable treat in Asia, Eastern Europe and Ethiopia, all that raw meat serves up the risk for roundworms and the intracellular bacteria parasites salmonella, E. coli and Listeria monocytogenes.
The key here is to order tartare only from a reputable establishment. If you're going to eat it raw, you're going to want a very fresh, certified cut of meat and you're going to want it prepared in a hygienic environment. Some chefs put an emphasis on the use of grass-fed livestock, as the bacteria in grain-fed animals become acclimatized to an acidic environment, preparing them for survival in the human gut. Also, freezing a cut of beef for 14 days should wipe out any parasitic risks.
Steak and lamb tartare dishes (as well as other raw meats) remain a delicacy throughout the world and there's no reason to cease your enjoyment of them. Just exercise a little caution when choosing where you order it.
2. Pink hamburger
Granted, not all hamburgers are created equal. On one end of the spectrum, you have the discs of gray mystery meat grill-flipped by the hundreds at your local fast-food joint. On the other end, you have fancy gourmet burgers ground to order. Somewhere in between, summertime grill masters put the sizzle on some serious beef patties.
But if steak tartare is the classy method of consuming raw beef, then a rare, pink hamburger is generally considered the low-rent option for risking a bun full of E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes or salmonella. Undercooked hamburgers are a major risk factor for E. coli, with the number of outbreaks typically doubling during summer months.
Again, cleanliness and freshness are everything. While you might invite the prospect of a pink center in a $30 gourmet burger, you should send that pinkish fast-food burger back. In addition, a 2008 study published in the Annals of Diagnostic Pathology examined the contents of eight fast-food hamburgers and discovered Sarcocystis parasites in two of them. Unlike other parasites that might be lurking in a pink hamburger, Sarcocystis is usually asymptomatic.
1. Ham and pork sandwiches
Interestingly enough, one of the more statistically risky menu items isn't even raw. The USDA, FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rank simple deli meat right at the top of their lists for Listeria monocytogenes infection. These meats often feature extended refrigerated storage times, during which L. monocytogenes has adequate time to thrive. The lesson here is to use fresh deli meat and only frequent sandwich shops that are going to do the same.
Pork poses a host of other parasitic risks as well if undercooked or poorly stored. Pork tapeworms pose a severe threat in that they sometimes spread to a host's eyes, spine or brain with potentially fatal results. A Trichinella worm infection offers a similar array of dire symptoms, ranging from nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, fatigue and fever to muscle pain, chills, heart problems and even death. So when considering that roadside barbecue purchase or vending machine ham sandwich, exercise a little caution. You might spare yourself a whole lot of parasites.
Again, you can't beat cleanliness and fresh ingredients when choosing a restaurant. When all else fails, order it well done.
Where's Captain Obvious???
