Spinach poisoning in 6 questions
Spinach is one of the most beneficial seasonal vegetables. Underlining that there is a fear of consuming spinach due to the recent cases of spinach poisoning, Anadolu Health Center Internal Medicine and Nephrology Specialist Assoc. Dr. Enes Murat Atasoyu answered frequently asked questions about spinach poisoning.
What should you pay attention to before buying spinach?
When purchasing spinach, care should be taken to ensure that its leaves are fresh, not yellow-brown in color, that there are no spots or spots on them, and that the integrity of the leaves is intact. It is necessary to wash the leaves one by one in running water, wearing gloves, and to remove any weeds mixed in.
How should you wash spinach to get rid of the chemicals on it?
Vegetables may be exposed to pesticides, preservatives, and eggs of insects living in the soil during cultivation. In addition, chemicals brought by rain and bacteria in the soil can be found on fresh fruits and vegetables.
Although it may be sufficient to wash the purchased vegetables well in running and clean water, soaking them in vinegar water is a good solution to clean the remaining bacteria in the vegetables. In addition, it would be appropriate to wash vegetables that can be purchased with their roots, such as spinach, after removing the roots. Since bacteria can pass from our hands to vegetables, your hands should also be washed before and after washing the vegetables.
How long does it take for spinach to spoil?
Cooked food should be kept outside for a maximum of 2 hours and then stored in the refrigerator. If the weather is very hot, food should not be kept outside for more than an hour. After cooking, the food should be reheated at most twice. So spinach can stay in the refrigerator for 2 days.
How can you tell if your spinach salad or dish is spoiled?
A sour or bad odor in the food and loss of water consistency can be considered signs of spoilage.
How does spinach poison? What toxic (poisonous) substances are produced?
Spinach may cause discomfort in people who are sensitive to the substance called “histamine” in its structure. In addition, symptoms of poisoning may occur due to the effects of bacteria, parasites, harmful herbs or chemicals that may have contaminated the spinach leaves during the growing, harvesting, transportation and storage processes.
What are the symptoms of spinach poisoning? When to consult a doctor?
When people with histamine sensitivity eat spinach, symptoms such as cramp-like pain in the stomach, itching on the skin, runny nose, and nasal congestion may occur.
If bacteria, chemicals or weeds contaminate the spinach leaves, nausea, vomiting, fever, diarrhea and general deterioration may occur.
If there are symptoms such as bloody stools, severe vomiting, persistent fever, and changes in consciousness, a doctor should be consulted immediately.
