Here's what happens if you eat mouldy food

When it comes to food, while most of us enjoy eating it, there are a lot of things left to learn when it comes to cooking and storing food. A lot of people are still unaware of seemingly basic things such as how easily tinned food can go bad or even the correct way to microwave food.

Even serious matters such as how to avoid food poisoning from eating leftover rice remains elusive for people. So it is no wonder that most people are still confused whether eating mouldy food can be excusable or if it is a serious health hazard.

Here's what happens if you accidentally or intentionally eat mould in your food, as per experts at Cleveland Clinic.

Mould can be extremely dangerous

Mould is a fungus which grows on foods like fruit, vegetables, jam etc. given the right conditions for it to thrive. White spots, discolouration on food or bad smell indicate the growth of mould.

As per the report, dietitian Lillian Craggs-Dino, advises people that in most cases eating mouldy food is not very dangerous. They advice,

Be mindful of the fact that you ate it. And make sure you don’t have any symptoms for the rest of that day. Most likely, you’ll be okay.

However, some types of mould can be extremely hazardous to health, causing a variety of symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea or difficulty in breathing. As per the expert, the outcome of eating mould depends on the type of mould it is.

The dietician warns that some moulds can be very toxic, and even fatal to human bodies. They explain,

You don’t know what mold you actually might be eating. Some molds can actually be very, very toxic to human beings. They can also cause allergic reactions and respiratory problems.

Those are extremely dangerous to somebody’s health. They can actually cause death

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Can any food be consumed even after getting mould?

These are the foods that should be thrown away as soon as you see the first hint of mould on them:

• Vegetables and fruits, such as cucumbers, tomatoes and peaches
• Deli meats such as ham
• Yogurt
• Jams and jellies
• Restaurant leftovers
• Peanut butter

Moulds on hard cheese or hard vegetables (like carrot, radish etc,) can be salvaged if the mould is scrapped away. You should cut off at least an inch around the contaminated areas.

But if you have doubts, you should seriously refrain from eating any mouldy food, or even food that has been close to the contaminated food.

This is because bacteria that causes mould can spread very easily, hence even if the adjacent food next to mouldy foods might look good, it is advisable to throw them all away.

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Sources used:

Cleveland Clinic: 'What Happens if You Accidentally Eat Moldy Food?'