Remember the 5-second rule we all follow?
You pick up the piece of food within 5 seconds and it is all OK. Right?
WRONG!
We should remember that bacteria on the floor do not get the concept of time. They see the food near them and they are going to eat it without being reluctant for 5 seconds for it.
Does this rule really work?
Or does the dropped food become a haven for all the diseases in those 5 seconds?
1. For starters, the dropped food picks up the dirt as soon as you drop it
There is no actual five-second rule in reality. Because the bacteria do not have a sense of time. They will not wait for 5 seconds before feasting on the food you dropped.
2. Bacteria move on it in microsecond
The moment you drop it, it has bacteria from the floor on it.
3. There are over 9000 species of microbes in our normal – dusty homes
Even if you clean you clean your house top to bottom every day.
5. Where do all these bacteria come from?
You. They come from you. You shed almost 40 million bacteria every hour in a day. You are the source of all that bacteria in your house.
4. There is good news though. Drier food is less likely to pick up bacteria than wet food
If you have dropped a piece of toast or biscuit, it will have fewer bacteria on it. Wet food will pick up more bacteria. Picking up cakes and pasta and fruits is a strict no-no.
6. The initial transfer is not really sufficient to contaminate your food
It takes almost 3 seconds on a normal ceramic tiled floor for the number of bacteria on the food to be harmful to your health.
7. And if you have a deadly microbe lying around in your house, you would have probably gotten sick already
If you had a deadly microbe lying around your house, you probably would have contracted a disease already.
8. You can go all your life being completely healthy even after picking up food from the floor
It is like driving a car without the seatbelt, or driving a bike without a helmet. You can go through your whole life without an accident that will kill you.
The same applies here too. If there aren’t harmful microbes on the floor, you will not get harmed at all.
9. So should you eat food that is dropped on the floor?
If you clean the floor hygienically and there isn’t anyone sick in your house, you are probably safe – PROVIDED YOU PICKED IT UP WITHIN 3 SECONDS.
10. Humans have immune systems because we have been exposed to microbes.
Remember the times when you were a kid and used to go out to play, getting dirty all the time. Cricket in the dust, football in the mud, kabaddi with sweaty guys.
Exposure to microbes is what makes you stronger. Your immune system cannot be awesome if you are a germophobe.
If you have dropped food in your own home where cleaning takes place every day and no one is sick – pick it up and eat it.
However, if the food is dropped on a public footpath – it is not such a good idea.
Bon Appetit!