Having to work in a city from home, Mahesh, 21, found the roadside eateries in Chennai a godsend. The food was tasty and it didn't burn a hole in his pocket. The love didn't last more than three months as he started getting bouts of stomach ache and nausea. Diagnosed with jaundice, he was forced to stay off work for two months.
Food served in wayside eateries can be too tempting to resist, but doctors say that one has to be careful of the way it is prepared. Unhygienic handling of food can cause jaundice and many other illnesses. It can be anything from an episode of diarrhoea or vomiting to something severe like viral hepatitis and even long term effects of the heart, kidney and liver.
“Infections including typhoid and acute gastroenteritis are transmitted by the fecal-oral route. When food handlers do not wash their hands properly, they can spread infection. Infections can also spread through insects like flies and mosquitoes because they might sit on feces and then food,“ said Dr Basumani, consultant medical gastroenterologist at Fortis Malar Hospital. Reused oil can also spell trouble. “When oil is reheated, it produces transfats and saturated fats, which our body cannot dispose. It keeps accumulating and leads to thickening of artery walls, causing a heart attack or stroke,“ Dr Basumani said.
Studies conducted in the city have shown a link between consumption of food prepared with reheated oil and food pipe cancer though it was one of a combination of factors leading to the disease. There is an added risk if there is use of rotten meat, something Chennai Corporation keeps seizing. Dr Baraneedharan, general physician at Global Hospi tals, said one needs to be careful when it comes to wa ter used by roadside eateries.
“When eating outside, it is always safe to eat freshly cooked food that is served hot and carry your own bottle of water,“ he said.
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