These behaviors in daily life will make your chopsticks more and more bacteria, which will eventually lead to "illness from the mouth"!
1, irregular fast chopsticks
Irregular replacement will lead to chopsticks hiding evil and accommodating evil.
With the naked eye, you may not see the difference between a pair of wooden chopsticks that have been used for half a year, 1 year and 3 years. But if you put them in a close-up shot of 500 times, you will see that the chopsticks that have been used for half a year have peeled off, and some places have cracked, with obvious small gaps and yellow residues in the gaps; Chopsticks have been used for 1 year, and the wood surface has changed color, with many gullies and depressions and a lot of oil stains. Chopsticks that have been used for three years have changed beyond recognition. You can't tell that they are made of wood, and the surface looks like small mushrooms.
The longer it takes, the higher the total number of bacteria. Metal chopsticks, wooden chopsticks and bamboo chopsticks are excluded. Generally, tiny grooves are left on the surface of chopsticks, which makes it easy to leave bacteria and detergent. Therefore, Bian Xiao suggested changing chopsticks once every six months.
2. Chopsticks are cracked and continue to be used
Frequent use and scrubbing will leave deep and shallow scars on chopsticks, making the surface of chopsticks rough or even cracked and deformed, which is easy to hide evil people and become a hotbed of harmful bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Helicobacter pylori.
Microbes and detergents hidden in the tiny grooves of chopsticks may also invade the human respiratory tract and cause respiratory diseases. If chopsticks are bent, deformed, moist or sour, they are all signs of pollution or expiration and can no longer be used.
3. Improper storage of chopsticks
For example, long-term storage of chopsticks does not meet the hygiene standards, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and so on. It will remain, and people with weak resistance may cause infectious diarrhea and vomiting after using it.
Experts suggest that the safest way to use chopsticks is to put the smaller end of chopsticks up, which is beneficial to the evaporation of water from chopsticks. Placing chopsticks horizontally is not conducive to drainage, and it is more likely to lead to mildew of chopsticks.
In addition, the chopsticks tube should be placed in a cool and ventilated place, and it is best to clean and disinfect it once a week. The bottom of the chopsticks tube should have the function of filtering water, and it is best to match a plate to receive water.
4, chopsticks used for a long time, discoloration is normal.
Chopsticks will change color if used for a long time. Many people think this is a normal phenomenon and don't pay attention to it.
But in fact, the color of chopsticks will change deeper or shallower after being used for a long time, mainly because of the deterioration of chopsticks caused by long-term accumulation of bacteria. Observe chopsticks carefully every day. Once spots are found on the surface, especially mildew spots, it means that it has gone moldy and deteriorated, so it should be replaced quickly.
5. Wash chopsticks casually
Many people are generous in washing chopsticks at home. Nearly 50% of adults choose to wash under the tap, rub it loudly, and then insert it into the chopsticks tube to wash.
Experts say that this washing method may make chopsticks washed incompletely, and bacteria will soon breed. When cleaning chopsticks, you should first clean the surface of chopsticks, and then wipe them carefully with detergent. After washing, the water stains can be drained and put into the chopsticks tube.
6. The new chopsticks were not sterilized at high temperature before use.
Chopsticks are easily contaminated by viruses, bacteria and chemicals during production and transportation, and must be boiled in hot water for half an hour before use.
Experts suggest that the newly bought chopsticks should be washed with tap water first, then with detergent, and finally put into a pot and boiled in boiling water for half an hour. Bamboo chopsticks should be carefully scraped off the fine spines. If there is an odor, you can soak it in vinegar for half an hour or cook it in tea for half an hour. In addition, it is best to use chopsticks specially by special personnel to avoid the spread of bacteria among family members.
7. Nude chopsticks are safer.
Many people think that "nude" chopsticks are hygienic and environmentally friendly. In fact, without a layer of raw lacquer, chopsticks are more likely to absorb water, wear and crack, food residues remain in the cracks, and bacteria breed. Painting with raw lacquer is like putting a protective film on chopsticks, which can be waterproof.
However, when buying chopsticks, you should choose the primary colors of the materials, because colored chopsticks may also cause harmful substances to remain in the dyeing process, and once the pigment falls off and is eaten by mistake, it is not good for your health.
Comparison of Advantages and Disadvantages of Chopsticks with Different Materials
In addition to using chopsticks correctly, there are also tips for choosing chopsticks. Chopsticks with different textures have their own advantages and disadvantages. You can choose the right chopsticks according to your own needs.
Colored lacquer chopsticks
Painted chopsticks have bright colors and beautiful patterns, but from the health point of view, this kind of painted chopsticks is extremely harmful to health.
1. Heavy metal lead and organic solvent benzene in coatings are carcinogenic, especially to the elderly and children with poor resistance.
2. You can choose a new type of chopsticks, combining logs with colored paint. The upper and middle parts of these chopsticks are made of logs, and the middle and tail parts are painted with colored paint, which not only ensures hygiene and health, but also has a fashionable appearance.
Plastic chopsticks
Colorful and varied plastic chopsticks are very popular with children, but the texture is brittle and the hardness is not ideal.
1, plastic is easy to deform after being heated, and harmful substances are produced, so it is best not to use it.
2. Plastic chopsticks can be used as home decorations because of their bright colors.
Stainless steel chopsticks
Stainless steel chopsticks can not only save wood, but also look beautiful, and are used by families in many Asian countries.
1, stainless steel chopsticks don't rust because there is a stable protective film on the surface, which can prevent chopsticks from oxidation and rust. However, if it is exposed to acid, alkali, salt and protective film for a long time, it will be destroyed and heavy metals will enter the body, which is harmful to health. So chopsticks should avoid long-term contact with such corrosive spices.
2. Stainless steel chopsticks conduct heat quickly, and it is easy to get burnt if you are not careful, especially when eating food such as hot pot. Be careful.
3. When using stainless steel chopsticks, it is easy to touch the tableware and make noise. Not recommended for major occasions.
Don't mix bowls with chopsticks, which may lead to diseases.
Ms. Wang has been very contradictory recently. It stands to reason that it is a good thing for a mother-in-law to help with the children, but she always likes to help herself with the dishes and chopsticks when feeding the children. Especially recently, my mother-in-law has a little cold, and Ms. Wang is very worried that this will infect her children. Liang Lianchun, chief physician of the Department of Infectious Diseases, Beijing You 'an Hospital, said that Ms. Wang's concern has some truth, and some diseases can be spread by using chopsticks.
From a medical point of view, the spread of disease requires three conditions, namely, the source of infection, the route of transmission and the susceptible population, and all three are indispensable. It may spread through mixed bowls and chopsticks, mainly through the digestive tract.
Helicobacter pylori infection
Helicobacter pylori is the chief culprit of many stomach diseases, and its infection route is mainly oral and fecal transmission, and it has the characteristics of family aggregation, that is, if one family member is infected, the chances of others being infected will be relatively high. This is because there will be Helicobacter pylori in dental plaque and saliva of infected people, and chopsticks are likely to become the vector of germs and do not eat together.
Hepatitis A and E
Many people avoid hepatitis. In fact, different modes of hepatitis transmission are different. For example, hepatitis B virus is transmitted through blood, and hepatitis B virus in saliva is generally rare and not contagious, so there is no need to be overly nervous when eating at the same table with hepatitis B virus carriers. The transmission route of hepatitis A and hepatitis E is mainly fecal transmission, and the virus is easy to spread in the air. Therefore, if you and these people use cups, bowls and chopsticks for a long time, the virus may be transmitted to healthy people through saliva.
hand-foot-and-mouth disease
Hand, foot and mouth disease is an infectious disease caused by enterovirus, which mostly occurs in children under 5 years old. It is characterized by fever, oral ulcer and herpes, and the transmission route is mostly nasopharyngeal secretions or feces of infected people. Children under 6 years old are in a state of "physiological immune dysfunction", so compared with adults, they are more likely to be cross-infected with viruses because of using chopsticks. Therefore, if there are children with hand, foot and mouth disease at home, parents should pay attention to diet and personal hygiene, wash their hands before and after meals, open more windows for ventilation, and try to use special bowls in kindergartens to prevent children from infecting each other.
pyreticosis
Typhoid fever is an acute infectious disease of digestive tract caused by typhoid Bacillus, and it is also spread in the way of "disease from mouth to mouth". Some patients who have recovered from illness are still contagious because the virus in their bodies has not been removed. Poor food hygiene and polluted water sources may spread diseases, so the daily necessities of typhoid patients should be used separately from their families as far as possible.
Liang Lianchun pointed out that the behavior of paying attention to personal hygiene is worthy of recognition, but in life, there are many possible ways to spread diseases, which cannot be simply attributed to the mixing of bowls and chopsticks. As long as the tableware and dishes, chopsticks, chopsticks tubes, etc. are disinfected at ordinary times. Boiling in boiling water for 3~5 minutes at regular intervals can achieve good sterilization and anti-infection effects. The practice of scalding bowls and chopsticks with hot water before meals has limited bactericidal effect.
How long has it been since you changed cups, plates and chopsticks? Although thrift is a virtue, it is not advisable for many families to use cups, plates, bowls and chopsticks for many years, because they also have a "service period". Once retired, it will bury health risks.