As cold and flu season is upon us, so begins another discussion about how disease spreads. Do you know where you’re most likely to get Norovirus? It’s actually not a cruise ship.
It’s food workers. Not just a sniffling server, but people along every step of the way, from those harvesting crops on a schedule, to processing them, to making your food, to the person serving it to you directly.
While there’s no need for animosity (most can’t afford to miss a day—at the least it means less pay, but i could also mean their job), there is need for awareness.
Should you never eat out? You can eat out (or buy pre-made food from your grocery store) just be aware there’s a risk. A hot meal will probably have fewer germs than, say, a salad, which at best was watched, and has been far more handled with no germ-killing heat. Plus, there are far more headlines about Listeria, E. coli, and more spreading through fruits and veggies—sprouts are notorious for spreading disease (albeit delicious). Of course, that’s all counterbalanced by how healthy fruits and veggies are.
Then, of course, there are lots of other ways to catch Norovirus, so you shouldn’t knock yourself out about one particular way. Norovirus is able to stay in the headlines because of how easily it spreads. A sneeze, throwing up, anything that can launch it into the air spreads it further than you might visualize, and then it can linger on surfaces, spreading it or giving you round two!
So the best defense is a good offense. Rather than give up something fun, make sure you’re ready for it with a strong immune system! Sleeping enough, eating well, and exercising are all important, even if it all may be a little harder in the winter. If you need an extra boost, pick up some colloidal silver!
Does seeing a sick server change where you eat?
