As we know, students are usually not too picky about food. They typically don’t have too much money or time for shopping to throw away waste products. They do not care much about expiration dates or, oppositely, trust it too much for the same reason.
Students can eat obviously spoiled food just because the package says it’s still ok. In reality, the expiration date depends on storage conditions and other circumstances. So this attitude can lead to health problems and ruin college memories.
Even if you have never had food poisoning, it doesn’t mean it won’t happen one day. To avoid toilet hugging and other unpleasant consequences of foodborne illness, every person should know how to understand whether they should eat something.
Let’s imagine you are going to prepare a sandwich. You open your fridge and start to choose the ingredients. How should you indicate the spoiled products? We prepared for you five signs that you should toss instead of putting in your sandwich.
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Bread Going Moldy
You can say that it’s an obvious rule. Even the hungriest student will probably toss the slice of bread if they spot mold on it. When you are in college, you would rather want to save money on college essay help than throw away the whole loaf of bread. However, it could be dangerous to try to save money on this sort of thing because even seemingly clean slices can contain fungus.
The mold spores are tiny. That’s why they can spread quickly throughout the porous bread. It produces mycotoxins, which are poisonous to the body, and can cause mycotoxicosis. Mold poisoning can lead to many diseases and can even cause death in severe cases.
To survive mold requires wetness. So to be sure your bread is fine, store it in a dry place or a fridge. Hard and dry bread without mold is safe to eat. Although it doesn’t taste good in your sandwich, you can still use it for the croutons.
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Meat Smelling Odd
Sandwiches are the most common student meal. If you are not vegetarian, you are probably frequently adding meat to yours. However, even if the expiration date on the package says it’s ok, you should pay attention to your turkey or ham odor. If it has a foul odor, you have to throw it out immediately. The awful smell usually means that the mean is decomposing and is not safe to eat.
Also, be careful with the products with texture changes. Fresh and safe to eat deli meat must look appetizing and has the same color as when you bought it. Remember that meat poisoning is one of the most dangerous ones you can encounter. Health is above wealth, so if you have the slightest doubt about your salami, throw it away without regret.
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Vegetables Changing Color
We also don’t advise putting a slice of a half-yellow tomato on the top of your sandwich unless you want to challenge your stomach.
Fresh green vegetables shouldn’t be yellow. Any color change in your product should set off red flags. When it happens you should be extra careful, even though spoiled vegetables won’t cause you as many troubles as rotten meat. Diarrhea, and nausea, are not the things you would like to experience in college.
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Cheese Smelling Like Sour Milk
Fresh cheese should smell like cheese. If the smell starts to remind you of sour milk, it is spoiled, and you shouldn’t put it in your sandwich.
The rule about tossing the whole container if you noticed the mold on it works with cheese as much as with bread. Of course, this has nothing to do with gourmet cheeses like Brie or Camembert. So before throwing your cheese out – make sure it isn’t actually supposed to be moldy.
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Eggs Failing the Float Test
Some people like sandwiches with boiled eggs. However, even such a simple thing can betray you. On the one hand, the eggs usually stay edible for far longer than what is printed on the package. They can still be good to go after three to five weeks past the expiration date.
But on the other hand, rotten eggs could cause an emergency and a very smelly situation in your fridge. To avoid such surprises, you can do some tests for the eggs. For example, you can put one in room temperature water. A fresh egg will sink. And if it floats – feel free to throw it away.
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Hummus Going Sour
Originally a Greek dish, hummus became very popular around the world. People eat it both as a separate dish or as a spread because of its unique taste and vitamin value. Hummus also can be an excellent substitute for the meat in your sandwich. But before spreading it on your bread, make sure it doesn’t have a sour taste. A fresh hummus shouldn’t smell and taste sour unless you add garlic.
Conclusion
These food safety techniques can easily help you prevent unexpected food poisoning. Yes, throwing away products may seem a bit wasteful. But unfortunately, sometimes it’s the only way to stay healthy. Please, remember that checking the expiration date is not enough. Sometimes you are better off trusting your sense of taste and smell.