Man Eats Raw Chicken For Weeks Without Getting Sick Despite Risk of Fatal Food Poisoning

Eating raw chicken is unsafe, but one does so by taking it as a smoothie for weeks without getting sick. The man was reportedly playing a game of food-poisoning roulette, and the ingredients in his smoothie could be one reason he avoided the bacteria that could have gotten him poisoned.

Mean Eats Raw Chicken Without Getting Sick

A man from Florida named John, 25, has become famous for eating raw chicken for 25 days. He grinds the uncooked chicken and mixes it with raw eggs, lettuce, and flavorings.

John gets his chicken supply from a specific farm, and it's safe to conclude that the birds are quite fresh and come from a flock less likely to have salmonella and campylobacter than chickens from a more significant commercial source.

Freshness is crucial because the longer meat is stored, the more dangerous bacteria it contains. The amount of germs John consumes may not be high enough to cause infection if the chicken is extremely fresh and he is eating little.

But regardless of the chicken's lineage, it is impossible to ensure that raw meat is safe, and even fresh-smelling food might be gravely contaminated with germs.

However, one possible reason John has kept himself away from bacteria like Shigella flexneri, Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio cholera, Salmonella enteritidis, and Escherichia coli is the addition of soy sauce in his smoothie. He uses soy sauce and herbs to add flavor to the raw chicken.

Soy sauce aids digestion by increasing the production of stomach acid in humans and helps destroy any bacteria in the food. Additionally, chili sauces inhibit food-poisoning germs. Many herbs are rich in antimicrobial compounds. Thyme is also a potent inhibitor of germs that thrive in poultry.

Additionally, the DNA of food-poisoning bacteria is damaged by acid, and stomach acid can destroy the germs. Other obstacles that bacteria must get past in the stomach include immune system defenses, mucus, and digestive enzymes.

After roughly four hours, the stomach empties, giving the stomach acid plenty of time to sanitize John's blended raw chicken and reduce the chance of chicken germs spreading an infection.

ALSO READ: Listeria Outbreak Sickens Three People in Delaware, One Dead in Texas; CDC Links It to Pre-Cooked Chicken

Uncooked Chicken Result in Food Poisoning

Uncooked chicken tender served among schoolchildren in New Zealand by lunch provider Bells Produce resulted in food poisoning, sending several kids to hospital. A snap of the uncooked tenders was shared on a Facebook page, and the chicken looked pink, suggesting it was still raw.

Bells Produce acknowledged the issue and issued an apology. The company immediately recalled all the food for safety measures.

An estimated one million Americans suffer from food poisoning each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Salmonella most commonly causes food poisoning. But not all raw chicken has bacteria, including Salmonella, in it.

The germs in raw chicken, or any other raw meat, cannot be eliminated. Heat is an efficient means of eliminating pathogenic microorganisms; temperatures over 75°C neutralize salmonella and campylobacter. So, cooking the meat is the only way to ensure its safety for consumption and avoid running the danger of possibly fatal food poisoning.

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