Persuasive Editorial: People should avoid eating raw
food.
Recently Thai netizens have been dazzled by weird trend that has been circulating
amongst teenagers from a social media platform called TikTok. It started when
a girl published a video of herself eating raw dough with different topping, since
then people have been starting to follow the trend. People are unaware of
the harmful effect that can result from eating different raw food, other
than just raw dough. Therefore, they should stop the habit of eating uncooked food to
obtain a better living style.
Brucellosis (Undulant Fever) , Campylobacteriosis (food poisoning), and
Cryptosporidiosis are some illness related to food. Severe nausea, stomach cramps,
muscle paralysis, blurred vision, and vomiting are just some symptoms of
these diseases. It may sound like an ordinary disease that every one might have
experienced, but they are fatal. The main culprit for
these diseases is the bacteria and microscopic parasites contaminated in raw and
uncooked food. E. coli are bacteria commonly found in the intestines
of humans and animals. There are several types of E. coli, some can cause severe
illness such as infections from food sources like unpasteurized milk, raw vegetables,
cheese, and undercooked beef. Other bacteria such as Salmonella causes food-borne
infection from contaminated water, similar to a bacterium called Staph Aureus that
result in staphylococcal food poisoning.
In 2014, Britt and Mike joined two friends at a large restaurant
and shared a large pizza. Later that night, all four woke up with severe nausea,
stomach cramps and vomiting. After detailed check up, the ER Doctor said they
suffered from a food-related illness. The main culprit for this case was a bacterium in
the pizza: E. coli from lettuce and undercooked hamburger, Salmonella form eggs,
raw chicken and green onions, as well as listeria bacteria from soft cheeses.
People believe that by eating raw food diet, they will experience clearer skin,
more energy, and reduction in cholesterol and lipid levels, which is true. However,
the disadvantage weighs out more than the advantage. By carrying out raw food diet,
digestive problems such as irritable bowel syndrome can arise, as well as reduction in
overall cholesterol and lower bone mass. In addition to that, raw-food
consumer may face the risk of not getting important nutrients such as Vitamin D,
protein, Iron, calcium, fatty acid, and Vitamin D. In the worse case, it may lower
the level of good cholesterol and instead raise levels of homocysteine (tHcy) because
of the lack of Vitamin D, which in turn can increase the risk of cardiovascular
problems.
The only way to prevent these health risks and illnesses is to consume well-done
cooked food.
Cooking kills some toxic and harmful compounds in food. It’s time for everybody to
take action for a better health and lifestyle. “Health requires healthy food.”
Sources:
1. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/7381.php#should_I_try_the_raw_food_d
iet
2. https://thesmartlocal.com/thailand/tiktok-raw-roti-challenge/
3. https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/food-related-illness#1
4. http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/public/programs/publichealth/foodsafety/whatis.aspx
5. https://www.eatright.org/homefoodsafety/safety-tips/food/is-raw-seafood-safe-to-eat