Health & Fitness
Is The 5 Second Rule For Fact or Fiction?
Do you think that it is "safe" to eat food that fell on the floor for less than 5 seconds?
You probably heard of “the 5 second rule”, which states that if you drop a piece of food on the floor and pick it up within five seconds it’s still safe to eat. But is the 5 second rule based on any scientific evidence?
There actually has been research done on this and these are the facts:
1. Food will pick up a significant amount of pathogens immediately upon contact with a surface containing them.
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2. The longer that the surface is in contact with the food, the greater the transfer of pathogens.
3. Certain bacteria can cause illness in much lesser quantities than others.
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4. You may consider a rug, much dirtier than a hard floor, but the transfer of bacteria from a wood, tile or linoleum floor is greater than that from a carpet!
5. Moist food picks up much more bacteria than dry food.
6. Processed food, which is high in sugar, salt and chemical additives picked up less bacteria. Even bacteria are smart enough to avoid processed food!
The bottom line here is that you are much better off not eating any food that falls to the floor, unless you enjoy playing Bacterial Russian Roulette.